WORLD CUP 2002/Countdown: Emmet Malone asks whether Duff is a front-bencher or if he should be pushed to one side

With arguments about civil war politics looking fairly redundant over the past few years, the great Duffer debate looks about the closest thing we Irish have to an issue that still divides households, turns brother against brother and gives journalists reporting on a settled and successful team something to write about.

Should Damien Duff play up front or wide in midfield?

Prior to the recent friendly against Denmark, those in favour of the former role seemed to have carried the day, but the way the 23-year-old ran riot down the left flank that evening in Lansdowne Road gave the "Duffer's a winger" brigade the sort of fillip Fine Gael find themselves in desperate need of right now.

Strangely, there's something of a consensus amongst the two players, apart from Duff himself, who have been most affected by Duff's deployment up front.

Kevin Kilbane makes no bones about the fact he's happy to see Duff partner Robbie Keane in attack and has observed more than once that he probably owes his place in the Ireland starting line-up these days to the lack of competition from the Blackburn player.

Similarly, David Connolly concedes that his rival's performances in the more advanced role have justified Mick McCarthy's original decision, taken in Estonia last year, to eschew what might be seen as his more obvious striking options and play Duff up front.

"Damien's played very well since then," says Wimbledon's Connolly. "He's shown what a good player he is. Maybe it's a little disappointing, but Damien's a premier league player and, until I'm up there banging in goals at that level, I really can't claim to have a whole lot to complain about."

With Duff having settled into the role well, even if the goals have been hard to come by for his country, Connolly fully accepts that he is there to provide the back-up.

"Mick's settled on his pairing and I'm there to ensure that there's a bit of pressure on them," he says. "I think I did that in Sunderland when I scored and showed that I could create things for other players too and I think my form with Wimbledon has been good too, my goals per game average was the second or third best in the first division. But I'm under no illusions, until you're in the premier league the records don't really compare."

A goal last week against Nigeria might have further boosted his chances of seeing a bit of action during the weeks ahead, but the 24-year-old has no complaints regarding the second-half effort that was disallowed.

"I knew that it was offside as soon as it came to me," he admits. "Clinton (Morrison) was offside, I think he was just heading it back to me for the sake of it really.

"Other than that, I was probably a little bit unlucky. Their keeper had a good night, always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, but then it's hard when you're getting so little of the game to get a goal. I mean people talk about the number of goals I get a game for Ireland but I don't tend to get that long to prove what I can do."

Kilbane can have no complaints on that score for, despite failing to entirely convince his club's supporters with his performances at the Stadium of Light, the Sunderland winger has firmly established himself as a central figure in McCarthy's Ireland set up.

Now 25, Kilbane's emergence as an international has been a gradual one, with his initial breakthrough coming in the World Cup qualifier against Iceland in Reykjavik, where a poor first-half performance meant a swift return to Ian Evans's under-21s.

It was almost two years before he played another competitive game for the senior side, but, when he came on for Duff just over an hour into Ireland's 1-0 defeat of Macedonia in the following European Championships campaign, he quickly began to make a real impression.

"Some of the other lads had certainly been involved longer than me," he said yesterday, "but having been on the bench for the Belgian play-offs and started both of the games against Turkey I'd say I was relieved as anyone that we managed to qualify for the finals this time around."

Now that the trip to the finals is under way he admits to being just a tiny bit impatient for the tournament itself to get under way.

"I suppose it's what you're here for so you want it to come around as soon as possible, but I'm enjoying it all so far, it's a wonderful experience," he says.

Ireland's opening game against Cameroon should mean a meeting with his Sunderland team-mate Patrick Mboma, the African striker who, having failed to make much of an impression at Sunderland during the tail end of this season, looks set to move on.

"He's a danger, though, a talent," says Kilbane of the big striker. "I'm sure he'd have loved to have scored more goals for us at Sunderland but he still showed us what a strong, physical player he is.

"He likes to have the ball at his feet and he creates things for other players, but he had a few chances that he probably should have scored and I know he came off the pitch a couple of times disappointed that he hadn't put things away."

Mboma's fitness was a constant issue during his brief time at the club and the 31-year-old is still far from certain of figuring in all of his side's group games.

The Republic appear not to have similar problems, but adapting to the new environment continues to be something that many of the squad are wrestling with.

Connolly has been spotted more than once out walking early in the morning and he said he woke at five yesterday.

"The heat has probably been a bit of a problem for most of he lads," says Kilbane, "but it's exactly what we expected, to be honest.

"Things are going well and there's a good buzz amongst the lads. There always is, though. Every time."