Twelve months on from the most noteworthy feat of Roscommon's good year, the landscape has changed considerably for the Bank of Ireland Connacht champions.

Now they are the ones with the less-than-ideal build-up to the match. If the tacky revelations of last weekend didn't add up to much in objective terms, they were certainly an unwelcome distraction.

Getting sandbagged by the tabloids isn't as serious as the rowing in Galway's camp last year, but it still disrupted focus, as was evident in the county last week.

Cavan's form since running five goals past them in the NFL semi-final hasn't reflected very flatteringly on John Tobin's side.

Nonetheless, it has prompted a shake-up in defence, which, if an improvement, will have been timely against one of the most menacing attacks in the game.

Galway, for their part, are immeasurably improved. There isn't a line on the team that hasn't been fundamentally altered.

Just as in 1998 when the Roscommon match and replay were enormously influential in equipping the team for a successful All-Ireland bid, last year's meeting was even more important to John O'Mahony.

It led to the rebuilt defence that steadied the whole team. It also demonstrated the crucial role that Kevin Walsh plays in the side.

Not fully fit for last year's Connacht semi-final, he could only play a substitute's part as Séamus O'Neill gave a dazzling display at centrefield but when the teams met again in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Walsh showed the young pretender what was what.

Galway played themselves into an All-Ireland last year and it remains to be seen if, as has been the case, the effort involved in winning last year has dimmed their performance levels.

Roscommon's forwards still have the potential to do damage, but this year the exchanges will be a lot tighter.

In their favour, Roscommon have the confidence that comes from an encouraging record against O'Mahony's Galway over the past few years. But they must also know that when the All-Ireland champions fire on all cylinders, there's nothing Roscommon can do about it.

In the belief that the visitors won't allow themselves to be overrun at centrefield as they were last year, the verdict has to be Galway.

ROSCOMMON: D Thompson; D Gavin, A Nolan, R Cox; P Noone, F Grehan, A McPadden; S O'Neill, F O'Donnell; G Cox, S Lohan, J Hanley; N Dineen, J Dunning, G Lohan.

GALWAY: A Keane; K Fitzgerald, G Fahey, R Fahey; D Meehan, T Mannion, S Og de Paor; K Walsh, M Donnellan; P Clancy, J Fallon, J Bergin; D Savage, P Joyce, M Clancy.