Galway v Mayo, Pearse Stadium, Sunday, 2.10pm, Live on RTÉ 2
In his first season with Galway Peter Ford has already emulated his predecessor, John O'Mahony, by winning the under-21 football All-Ireland.

Now comes the harder part. The scale of the task facing the Galway manager as he sets about the rebuilding of the county seniors can be seen in the selection for tomorrow's Bank of Ireland Connacht final.

It's all very well being blessed with emerging talent, but crafting it into a team is a difficult task. Since the great years of 1998-2001 Galway have lost virtually their entire spine. Gary Fahey's retirement has left a void at full back, to go with the other great central voids: Martin McNamara, Tomás Mannion, Kevin Walsh and Jarlath Fallon. Only Pádraic Joyce remains.

Each time one of the above has called it a day, there has been no successor in terms of leadership, whatever about raw skill.

Fahey's loss encapsulates the dilemma. As the 2002 All-Ireland winning under-21 full back, Kieran Fitzgerald looked the long-term successor, but he has been plainly uncomfortable in the position at senior level and so the mantle has fallen on this year's under-21 full back Finian Hanley.

The problem is that the need for Hanley's elevation wasn't identified early enough and he has only just been called into the panel as well as the team.

Ford himself has admitted during the week that this constitutes a gamble going into a Connacht final in which he must pick up Billy Joe Padden, a championship rookie but one buoyed by his big performance against Roscommon.

At centre back Paul Clancy is pressed into service once again - not for the first time Galway's peculiarly strong resources up front leading them to turn forwards into backs rather than vice versa.

Clancy showed last year that he has the football and intelligence for the position but not the defensive instinct. He played plenty of ball against Ciarán McDonald last year, but with his share of possession the latter was man of the match.

Both of Galway's centrefielders are under-21s and it's intended that Kieran Comer will supplement their efforts around the middle, but even allowing for a plan that creates space for Savage, Joyce and Micheál Meehan, Ford will hope to get more from Michael Donnellan in attacking presence rather than the more conservative sweeping game evident against Leitrim.

Another plus for Mayo in this area is the injury to Joe Bergin who was the main instrument of Galway's most recent win over tomorrow's opponents, two years ago at the same venue.

Mayo under John Maughan rarely succumb to the surprise defeat and whereas losing to Galway hardly ever comes into that category, the defending champions are a more settled and proven team.

There will be disquiet in the county at the sight of the full-back line that got demolished in last year's All-Ireland taking the field again tomorrow, but in the absence of the injured Keith Higgins, Dermot Geraghty brings a notably good under-age record against Meehan into the match.

As a unit, as distinct from six individuals, the Mayo attack looks the more reliable. Galway struggled to cope with McDonald and Conor Mortimer last year and this weekend's side doesn't look noticeably better able to deal with the threat.

Galway started last year's match in a hurry, but strangely slumped from an early six-point lead into the same margin of defeat. They will be hoping for Joyce to click and if he does (despite some rumours of an ankle injury) the match will be a significant challenge for Mayo.

But it's one that the champions, more established and with more gas in the tank, should nonetheless overcome.

GALWAY: B Donoghue; A Burke, F Hanly, K Fitzgerald; D Meehan, P Clancy, D Burke; B Cullinane, N Coleman; D Savage, M Donnellan, M Clancy; K Comer, P Joyce, M Meehan.

MAYO: D Clarke; D Geraghty, D Heaney, G Ruane; C Moran, J Nallen, P Gardiner; R McGarrity, S Fitzmaurice; A Moran, C McDonald, A Dillon; C Mortimer, BJ Padden, T Mortimer.

Referee: J Geaney (Cork)