Qualter tries to plot the downfall of Clann in winner takes all clash

CLONOWN resident Seamus Qualter - now managing St Faithleach"s - is the man charged with plotting the downfall of South Roscommon outfit Clann na nGael in a crucial Roscommon SFC clash at Johnstown on Sunday (throw-in: 2pm). Qualter, well known locally for guiding Westmeath hurlers to two Christy Ring titles in recent years, took charge of St Faithleach"s this year and his involvement in Sunday"s game adds extra spice to an already fascinating encounter - where the winner will proceed from the group stage to the quarter-finals, while the loser will be eliminated altogether from this year"s competition and face the possibility of relegation to intermediate football. To make the weekend"s match in Johnstown even more interesting, Seamus Qualter"s 16 year-old son, Daniel, plays for Clann na nGael at underage level. Despite having an impressive total of 19 county championships under their belt, Clann na nGael, now under the tutelage of former All-Star Enon Gavin, have experienced difficult times in recent years, and have failed to win the county title since 1996. On the other hand, St Faithleach"s have reached the last two county finals but lost on both occasions to all-conquering St Brigid"s. Both Clann na nGael and St Faithleach"s need victory this weekend to secure a place in the last eight of the competition and Clann will be feeling confident after producing a stirring comeback in their last outing to earn a draw against Western Gaels. Seamus Qualter, who also manages the Westmeath minor hurling team at present, is this week playing down the significance of his involvement in this weekend"s encounter. 'Obviously some people will place attention on my local connections but I"m just looking forward to a decent game,' he said. 'It"s just another championship game to be honest but one we"re looking to win. I wouldn"t like to place any emphasis at all on my own involvement; people can get carried away with that sort of thing. It should be a decent game though.' Clann na nGael will be looking to the likes of Roscommon forward Johnny Dunning and Donie Shine for scoring inspiration on Sunday and Dunning feels the recent comeback against Western Gaels stands them in good stead ahead of the weekend. Dunning said: 'We came back strong in that game and things are going pretty well for us at the moment. The Western Gaels game gave us a good indication of where we are as a team and the signs were positive that day. Hopefully we can build on that performance against a very good St Faithleach"s team.'