Cromwell's old apotheosis still carries relevance. Roscommon knows the hell of this brave new championship system. Sweeping Connacht looked a dubious wisdom as Galway, trounced by Roscommon on June 3rd, came back to silence them in Castlebar on Saturday evening.

It was a forceful performance, stern and unadorned, illustrating that whatever about the injustices of the improvised championship draw, there is one undeniable truth. The best team in the province has emerged as the west's most realistic hope in this summer's epic death dance.

"We were devastated by that loss in Tuam and at all the criticism - the players were stung by the things they were called, under achiever's and the like and I suppose there was some justification in that. But we are delighted to be in an All-Ireland semi-final now," declared John O'Mahony afterwards.

This Galway bore almost no resemblance to the fretful, anxious bunch that succumbed to Roscommon two months and a lifetime ago. The most impressive aspect of Saturday's lesson was the manner of containment with which it was executed. It was the least dramatic of Galway's recent outings and, from their perspective, all the more satisfying for that. Although Roscommon's Frankie Grehan thundered a second minute point after a typically bullish run up-field, Galway owned the match from the throw-up and gradually constructed the big, early lead that has, in other matches, threatened to undo them.

Not this time, however. Roscommon's brief window snapped shut early into the second half. Trailing 0-9 to 0-1, they resurrected spirits with an inspirational point on 36 minutes from Stephen Lohan but then proceeded to balloon six wides in the subsequent four minutes. The most costly was Paul Noone's salvo on goal that whistled across the face of the netting after Clifford McDonald and Stephen Lohan smuggled the ball through.

Frankie Dolan angled a fine score on 44 minutes but then the superior Michael Donnellan picked up possession and glided into around the 50 before chipping a point to restore a seven point advantage. It kept the heat out of the evening.

While Galway's attack was, by its own supernova standards, quite muted, it was the problem area of early summer that caught the eye. Richie Fahy was supreme at full-back, tying up both the Lohans over the hour. Behind him, Alan Keane was serene under a series of testing high deliveries sent in by the Roscommon half-forward unit. Tomas Mannion touched on his form of three years ago and at midfield, big Kevin Walsh was again quietly devastating - and lasted the entire 73 minutes.

Although the forwards were not in champagne mode, they hustled with a togetherness that bodes well for Galway and harried the opposition half-back line into conceding at least three frees which Pauric Joyce dispatched.

Grehan, Conor Connell and Seamus O'Neill toiled desperately for the title holders but it was en evening of utter frustration. The Lenten aspect of their attack must have been a shock after the raids of previous weeks. Even after Jonathan Dunning squeezed a well-worked goal after 61 minutes to leave it at 0-13 to 1-03, there was no sense of welling dramatics. Galway simply cordoned off that central passage that Roscommon loves to run at and the promise ebbed away. It was a tough exit from the championship.

"We never got to grips with the game," sighed John Tobin after his team had broken up for the season.

"We didn't play well in the first half while Galway were wonderful. And their experience in these big-game situations was significant. The better team won that game but I still take heart from the way we played - we came out in the second half and decided to have a cut and were unlucky with a few chances. But I believe we will come on a lot through this."

Tobin has too much class to gripe about the vagaries of the new system after been bitten by it but he did assent that it might be unwise to allow a situation like this to develop into a trend.

"I suppose it wouldn't help - maybe the provincial system would lose a bit of credibility if this keeps happening, winning the provincial title and then not getting on to Croke Park . . . it would take the gloss of it a little bit."

There was certainly no gloss to what ought to have been the climax to Roscommon's campaign. Galway looked hardened by their out-of-body experiences against Armagh and Cork in Croke Park.

The game should have been utterly finished at the break, when Kevin Walsh cruised onto the end of a fine build up but opted to shoot for a point with Alan Kerins waving wildly on the edge of the square. What ought to have been a goal resulted in a wide.

The half-anticipated period of Galway going walkabout never materialised and thus the crowd were denied the heroic comebacks that have featured in maroon matches of late.

Roscommon were edgy even as they attempted a revival, as if conscious that the oxygen was all but gone.

Short, fluffed frees and horrid wides impaled them. They discovered a degree of the old verve after Dunning's goal but it amounted to little on the scoreboard.

Galway then, after a series of detours, have emerged from Connacht. Roscommon will watch them on the television and look at the silver on the sideboard and wonder about the world.

"They were extremely gracious when we beat them back in June and we want to return the same," said Tobin.

"They will certainly have our support now and I think they will win it all. That's my opinion."

Well, the old killing look is definitely back. Yes, Roscommon may be the only team to beat Galway all year.