FOCUS ON DUBLIN HURLERS: This is the time of year when David Sweeney expects to be asked about Dublin hurling. Could these be the breakthrough days, the start of a long summer, maybe even the year of the surprise?

FO For five summers now Sweeney has asked himself the same questions. As Dublin captain he doesn't have any straight answers. After playing Westmeath on Sunday things should be a little clearer.

"This year starting out we have one aim and that's to make the Leinster final," he says. "We want to actually beat somebody worth beating, like Wexford. We didn't even beat Laois last year and we want to do that too. We just want to do something for Dublin hurling.

"But it's Westmeath first. We haven't played them in two years and it won't be easy. We are a team that blows hot and cold and it's important that we play well. So we are treating them the same as anyone else."

There is one obvious difference from previous summers. Kevin Fennelly is now well settled as manager and if he is to make an impression it should be occurring about now.

"Kevin came in a bit late last year, and didn't really know any of the players. It was difficult for him to put his mark on things straightaway but he's been there from the start this year and we've all been working hard together since before Christmas. And his aim is the same as our aim."

But the problems remain the same. Gaelic players in Dublin will naturally drift towards football and Sweeney has seen the difficulties in finding and then keeping fresh talent.

"Even if players are very good at both codes, they'll generally end up playing football only. You have soccer and rugby on top of that, and kids thinking about playing for Manchester United or Ireland more than playing hurling for Dublin.

"That situation becomes even more difficult when counties aren't doing well in hurling. Who wants to play a game where you always lose in the first round, or end up getting hammered by the likes of Kilkenny? It's difficult then, but we are working on it."

Yet there were signs of some improvement during the league: "We started fine against Waterford and had half a good game against Galway and then it went downhill. Kilkenny was a non-match so we didn't really produce anything much.

"There are quite a few younger players now, like Conal Keaney and Stephen Hiney, and minors from last year like Philly Brennan and Derek O'Reilly. Maybe half the team now is under-21. But we've still got to put more than just one or two good matches together. Until we can get some sort of consistency we're still a long way off."

The Wexford game on June 9th is the big target (providing they get past Westmeath, and then the winners of the Laois-Meath game). Should they lose along the way Sweeney, still only 25, has no plans to abandon the cause.

"I suppose I've been through the worst now and have been on the bad end of two hammerings by Kilkenny and a couple of very close defeats to Wexford and Laois. Of course it gets disheartening at times, but the thing is I love hurling. I want to play the game at the highest level and play on the same pitch with the biggest names in the country."