CONNACHT SEMI-FINAL: Seán Moran talks to Ray Connelly about his dismissal - later rescinded - against Roscommon last year and its effect on Mayo.

Not surprisingly, the recollection animates him. The scene was last year's Bank of Ireland Connacht football final in Hyde Park, Roscommon. With 11 minutes left, Roscommon and Mayo are level on the scoreboard but Mayo have a one-man advantage, as Clifford McDonald has been sent off shortly after half-time.

The incident is seen plainly on television. During a goalmouth confrontation Roscommon's Frankie Dolan makes an infamous meal of being jostled and the nearest defender, left corner back Ray Connelly, is red-carded. Later, it will be rescinded and no suspension will be imposed but who can give him back the 11 minutes?

"It was unfair conduct," says Connelly. "We had the extra man up until that. Then things went haywire. If we had had 15 men we would won that final. People say that it was alright, I didn't get anything (suspension) because of it, but he went off with a medal in his pocket. I had the humiliation of being sent off in front of a big crowd. Then I had to take time off work to travel down to Dublin and attend the meeting to exonerate me.

"I was glad it was caught on camera or else I could have been gone for six months, seeing as how it could have been said to be off-the-ball. People were asking me what I had done. And looking at me when I said 'nothing'. I was thinking if this isn't on camera, I'm in terrible trouble. Fortunately, it was."

There was little else to cheer about. Despite scoring a goal in injury-time to take the lead, Mayo were stung at the very end by an answering goal.

That Connacht final defeat was a turning point for Mayo last year. Spring had brought a first national title in 30 years when tomorrow's opponents Galway were beaten at Croke Park in the National League final. A provincial title would have maintained momentum. Instead the season stopped dead in its tracks, unredeemed by a thrilling one-point defeat by Westmeath after extra-time in the qualifiers.

"Losing the Connacht final was a bit of a damper, particularly the way we went out. To win means winning the championship. The league set us up for that. I honestly believe that incident in the Connacht final cost us the title. Against Westmeath there was no excuse. They were just better.

"After the disaster of losing the Connacht final, we had to try and pick up the pieces. Even though we'd three or four weeks it was awful hard. No player would want the back door. For me it was worse because I was central to what had happened."

Frustration has been a constant companion for Connelly throughout his inter-county career. A brother of Noel, he was a member of the 1996 panel that went through the agonies of the All-Ireland replay against Meath. A year later injury kept him out - an indisposition prophetically regretted by manager John Maughan before the final against Kerry. On the day, Maurice Fitzgerald ransacked Mayo's full-back line.

This weekend, Mayo return to championship action for the first time this summer. Things have changed a bit. Galway recovered from their defeat by Roscommon a year ago this weekend to take the All-Ireland through the qualifier system. They looked in rampant form a fortnight ago.

Mayo by contrast haven't been involved in competitive action since a desperate hiding from Tyrone in the league semi-finals last April. Few appear willing to factor in the relative loss of interest of a team that won the title a year previously - or the frequently inaccurate impression given by the league.

"To be honest, a lot of people are disgusted with the league. But last year we set out to win it and this year we didn't, although we put some good displays together with different players going well and ended up in the semi-finals. We didn't want to lose the semi-final but Tyrone ran riot."

The short-term legacy of that has been to throw the team composition into turmoil. Even the defence, which used to be fairly settled, is now uncertain.

"Over the past couple of years you could name maybe five of the six but now there's possible options everywhere. There's pressure on at midfield. Five or six have been tried there recently. In another year, you could pick one definite but not this year.

"Maybe it's better to have a settled team but this keeps everyone on their toes, getting half a game here and half a game there. No one thinks that they don't have any chance. Of course, that makes it more disappointing for those who don't make it."