THIS year's Railway Cup gets underway at the end of the month with training and panel selection already in progress. Football is first into focus, as the hurling semifinals won't be played until February 25th, and this weekend sees trial matches in both Leinster and Ulster.

In Leinster, Mattie Kerrigan, former Meath All Ireland medallist and Westmeath manager, takes over the management reins from Eugene McGee who is unavailable this year. Kerrigan does, however, retain last year's selectors John Crofton, the former Kildare selector and full back, and Niall Rennick, who was a Meath panellist and managed Wicklow for four years.

Naturally, Kerrigan is positive about the competition despite the relative disrepair into which it has fallen in recent years with poor attendances and no fixed abode on the fixtures' calendar.

"It's a very important aspect of the GAA and doesn't get the recognition it deserves. It's still the only representative outlet players have. The slot's not ideal, sandwiched between the National League and the club championships, and I'd prefer to see it played in the late autumn, even though there's a danger of it cutting into the county championships."

Even so, he acknowledges that the competition's importance has waned since he was a player. "In my time it was the All Ireland, the National League and then the Railway Cup. It's certainly slipped out of that ranking and the club championships have a higher profile. Losing the St Patrick's Day slot probably has something to do with it."

A squad of 28 has been selected to prepare for the semi final against Connacht, probably at a Leinster venue. With the Dublin players on holiday in San Diego, none of the All Ireland champions have been chosen, but Eamonn Heery is included in the panel.

Training takes place on Wednesday nights in Kildangan St Lid where Michael Osborne, former chairman of the Kildare Supporters' Club, and Eamonn Cleary, former Wexford dual player, have arranged for the panel to have the use of the indoor arena where five a side passing games help develop coordination among the players.

Most of last year's team, apart from the Dublin contingent, remain in the panel, together with new names such as John O'Brien and Dermot Brady from Westmeath, Offaly's Finbarr Cullen, and Philip McGillycuddy, the player trainer of Leinster club finalists, An Tochar from Wicklow.

"I'd like to see it continue," says Kerrigan, "and given a higher profile. I had an idea that it could be run on the lines of the rugby with everyone playing each other and the top two playing in the final. It would give more coverage to the competition."

For Saturday's trial match, to be played in Celbridge at 2.15, Meath will be naming a strong team with a more experimental: line up doing duty in the O'Byrne Cup match the following day: against Westmeath. There are question marks over Meath's Tommy Dowd and Jimmy McGuinness, who are suffering; from flu, and some players may; be asked to double up at the weekend.

Westmeath are also having difficulties with the flu and manager Barney Rock will not be naming a team until tonight.

. Donegal's Martin Gavigan, currently serving a six month suspension, has announced that he will be available to the county panel when he has served his term - provided he can regain full fitness. Gavigan had indicated at the time of the suspension that he might retire from inter county football.

. Kilmacud Crokes's captain Mick Dillon is a surprise omission from the Wexford team for Sunday's O'Byrne Cup quarter final with Laois at Gorey. Dillon chose to play a club match on Sunday last and missed the first round outing with Kilkenny. He is not included in the 23 man panel, with a question mark now hanging over his inter county career.

Wexford were dealt a further blow when defender Barry Kirwan opted out of inter county football, while regular goalkeeper John Cooper, who has been unable to give the necessary commitment to training in recent months, is dropped to the substitutes.

. In his report to Sunday's annual convention of the South Tipperary GAA Board, long serving secretary Michael O'Meara has a crack at proposals to reform the All Ireland championships.

"We seem to be living in an age of second chance and in line with the divorce referendum, we now want to give a second chance to the losers of the Munster and Leinster championships. In so doing we can end tip with tainted All Ireland champions and detract from the appeal of the provincial finals, and put the club championships under severe pressure."