As the Led Zeppelin classic goes, "There's a feeling I get when I look to the West." More than ever, this year's contest points to yet another final meeting between the old masters of the lonely province, Galway and Mayo.
If the results go along expected lines, then the counties will meet on July 13th. That fact alone illustrates just how drawn out the All-Ireland championship has become. New York and Leitrim met in the Bronx on May 11th, the official beginning of this contest. Should it really take a full two months to run off a further five games? After the steady and competitive series of league games, it means managers have to completely adjust their training patterns and hope their brightest players maintain form in club matches while avoiding injuries.
The break is particularly tough on Mayo and John O'Mahony, who must wait until late June before hosting the reigning champions, Sligo - unless, that is, London manage the upset of the decade when they host Sligo in late May.
Galway's campaign is slightly more structured, with a serious match coming up against Roscommon on May 18th. Three weeks later, they face the winners of the Leitrim/New York contest and, should they win, they have a full month to prepare for the Connacht final.
A month is a long time in which to keep a team primed and fresh for one match. Much of the flair and energy Galway exhibited throughout the league may go out the window. They might well be absolutely flying by mid-July but after lighting up the league with their pleasing and traditional displays of open football Sunday after Sunday, the trick now for Liam Sammon's squad is to click on the important days. And that is a fundamental that has eluded Galway in recent years.
All in all, though, Sammon must be content with his first few months in charge. It was a mild surprise his team did not make the league final after setting the standard for two months but their chastening hour against the All-Ireland champions will leave them in no doubt as to the magnitude of the task ahead.
The big cloud over their campaign was the latest injury to Joe Bergin. There was the sense the big Mountbellew man, in recuperation for most of the league, was gunning for a commanding summer, and his departure on a day of sleet and hail in Castlebar was sad to see.
But Galway are humming. As anticipated, Sammon introduced a bright and expressive policy and it was immediately clear senior men like Padraic Joyce, Matthew Clancy and Declan Meehan flourished under the new system.
Joyce has built up a great understanding with Michael Meehan, even if there are concerns the deadly potency of that axis might leave Galway looking a bit one-dimensional in crunch games.
It could be Fiachra Breathnach has nailed down a starting place but with talents like Nicky Joyce and Seán Armstrong featuring only periodically, we can bet Sammon has not shown his full hand up front.
The same is true at midfield. Bergin's absence will be keenly felt in this area. There have been strong performances by Barry Cullinane, and the football acumen of Niall Coleman is obvious, but in their match against Kerry, Galway were taken to school in midfield. Diarmuid Blake is expected to challenge for a place at centre half back, deepening the defensive options.
Galway's back unit has performed strongly, with Finian Hanley, Darren, Mullally and Gary Sice outstanding, while Kieran Fitzgerald has the leadership qualities required of a captain. It is hard to figure how they conceded 7-76 in the league. The goals against are a worry: Kerry conceded just one (until the league final loss to Derry) and that was an outrageous fluke by Donegal.
Roscommon present a real threat to Galway. They will arrive in Pearse Stadium smarting after a disastrous league and with nothing to lose. Michael Ryan's appointment as manager means they will have a month of stable training under their belts and the consolation league victory against Cavan, achieved under Paul Early's stewardship, was important.
The Roscommon players will be shot of whatever was plaguing them during the last weeks of John Maughan's administration, and with Séamus O'Neill, Karl Mannion and Frankie Dolan, the Primrose County have plenty of battle-hardened leaders.
They will have no fear of going to Salthill and giving the establishment hell.
If it was a black league for Roscommon, it has not been much better for Sligo. After the joy of last summer's historic Connacht sweep, Sligo find themselves relegated to Division Four and facing a formidable assignment against Mayo.
Mistakes cost Sligo dearly throughout the league. The disappointing aspect was they could not use last summer's experience and momentum to push them through games where they contested until the end.
They are a team with a fair bit of mileage behind them, and the recent injury to Noel McGuire is a further blow. But Kieran Quinn should recover in time for their championship visit to London, a match that might well see Sligo's promising young forward Gary Gaughan getting a start. Sligo will need a few fresh faces if they are to tear up the form guide this year.
Leitrim have probably been the most unlucky football team in Ireland in recent years. The work Dessie Dolan snr has invested in a small squad with a fantastic attitude ought to have been repaid with a killer result. They have come close against Mayo, Galway, Meath, Dublin and Donegal in Seán McDermott Park in recent years and have serious operators in the likes of John McKeon, Colin Regan and Declan Maxwell.
But for all that, relegation to Division Four means they won't get a chance in the qualifiers this summer, which will be a shame.
Instead, they face the monumental task of winning away against either Galway or Roscommon. And even though they are capable of an upset - their recent league victory against Down defied prediction - it is hard to see a shock of that magnitude. Although counties seem to take or leave the Tommy Murphy Cup, the bet here is Leitrim will give it an honest crack if they are consigned to participation.
All in all, the Connacht championship is shaping up for a familiar showdown between Galway and Mayo. The signs have been brighter for Mayo this year. The big news through the league was David Brady's decision to retire and more recently the slightly contentious omission from the summer squad of the perpetual cult hero Ciarán McDonald. These are colossal absences from the Mayo dressing-room.
Mayo believe they gave the Crossmolina man every chance to make an appearance. The forward feels he is considered surplus to demands and has publicly stated he would love to play for the county this year. That is unlikely but a reconciliation is possible.
Without McDonald, Mayo will be slightly more prosaic but no bad side. Tom Parsons has developed well at midfield with Ronan McGarrity and this may be Austin O'Malley's summer to shine. There is still a question as to who will operate at full back when the fit-again Billy Joe Padden returns. John O'Mahony may adopt a horses-for-courses policy here.
If Galway's league statistics are a cause for concern, then Mayo have been even more generous, leaking a whopping 10-77. The Mayo backs will need to tighten the screws between now and the championship. They only won two league games but they all but legally defeated Donegal and one of their victories came against Kerry. In McHale Park, Mayo are always a tough proposition, particularly on those arid July days.
Galway and Mayo are potential last-eight material. And Galway have the capacity to truly flourish in the wide-open spaces of Croke Park.
Mayo have been unpredictable over the last few years and they will cause a surprise or two this year too. The likelihood is the big counties will fight for the cup on July 13th. It will be hard and close. Mayo might just sneak it.
County Guide - Ian O'Riordan
GALWAY
So, their brill'iant league run didn't quite end as expected, but no harm. Galway are definitely playing with renewed vigour and belief and look set to rule the province. Their summer should really begin in Croke Park in August.
IF GALWAY WERE A BOB DYLAN SONG ...
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (from the album Bringing It All Back Home) Includes the lines: "You lose yourself, you reappear, You suddenly find you got nothing to fear, Alone you stand with nobody near."
Last 3 Championship seasons:2005: Beat New York; Beat Leitrim; Beat Mayo; Lost to Cork 2006: Beat Sligo; Beat Roscommon; Lost to Mayo; Lost to Westmeath 2007: Beat Mayo; Beat Leitrim; Lost to Sligo; Lost to Meath
LEITRIM
There is an unbearable lightness to being Leitrim, but they don't let it get to them; they show up every summer with admirable enthusiasm. Relegation from division three hasn't helped their confidence, and the summer could be over before it begins.
IF LEITRIM WERE A BOB DYLAN SONG ...
Buckets of Rain (Blood on the Tracks) Includes the lines: "Life is sad, Life is a bust, All ya can do is do what you must, You do what you must do and ya do it well."
Last 3 Championship seasons:2005: Beat Sligo; Lost to Galway; Lost to Meath 2006: Lost to Mayo; Lost to Sligo 2007: Beat London; Lost to Galway; Lost to Donegal
LONDON
Maybe one of these years they are going to upset someone in Connacht, but even with Sligo making the trip this time, there is little chance of the miracle; their league form was more dismal than ever.
IF LONDON WERE A BOB DYLAN SONG ...
Subterranean Homesick Blues (Bringing It All Back Home) Includes the lines: "Get born, keep warm, short pants, romance, learn to dance, Get dressed, get blessed, Try to be a success."
Last 3 Championship seasons:2005: Lost to Roscommon; Lost to Monaghan 2006: Lost to Mayo; Lost to Westmeath 2007: Lost to Leitrim
MAYO
In the end they were lucky enough to avoid relegation from division one, and expectations have been pared back a little more. Still, this is a team capable of winning back the provincial title, and we'll wait and see what happens after that.
IF MAYO WERE A BOB DYLAN SONG ...
Visions of Johanna (Blonde on Blonde) Includes the lines: "Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial, Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while."
Last 3 Championship seasons:2005: Beat Roscommon; Lost to Galway; Beat Cavan; Lost to Kerry 2006: Beat London; Beat Leitrim; Beat Galway; Beat Laois; Beat Dublin; Lost to Kerry 2007: Lost to Galway; Beat Cavan; Lost to Derry.
NEW YORK
This is the dreaded fixture for many a Connacht team, even if it comes with the promise of a weekend in New York. Goods may come cheap out there now, but so too do bruises.
IF NEW YORK WERE A BOB DYLAN SONG...
Shelter from the Storm (Blood on the Tracks) Includes the lines: "Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country, but I'm bound to cross the line, Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine."
Last 3 Championship seasons:2005: Lost to Galway 2006: Lost to Roscommon 2007: Lost to Sligo
ROSCOMMON
There was no excuse for the managerial abuse that happened during the league, even if form was upsetting, and the reality is there won't be much to cheer about this summer either.
IF ROSCOMMON WERE A BOB DYLAN SONG
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Blood on the Tracks) Includes the lines: "Situations have ended sad, Relationships have all been bad, Mine've been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud."
Last 3 Championship seasons:2005: Beat London; Lost to Mayo; Lost to Louth 2006: Beat New York; Lost to Galway; Lost to Meath 2007: Lost to Sligo; Lost to Kildare
SLIGO
Winning the provincial title last summer seemed almost too good to be true, and maybe it was. The summer was disappointing, and so too was their league run, and yet they have every chance of making it to the Connacht final.
IF SLIGO WERE A BOB DYLAN SONG
I Believe in You (Slow Train Coming) Includes the lines: "I believe in you even through the tears and the laughter, I believe in you even though we be apart, I believe in you even on the morning after."
Last 3 Championship seasons: 2005: Lost to Leitrim; Beat Longford; Beat Kildare; Beat Clare; Lost to Cork 2006: Lost to Galway; Beat Down; Beat Leitrim; Lost to Westmeath 2007: Beat New York; Beat Roscommon; Beat Galway; Lost to Cork
