After the troubles of last year, a lot of Donegal people didn’t expect to be back in an All-Ireland semi-final so soon, but Jim McGuinness’ side have been seriously consistent all year.
You would associate consistency with McGuinness’ first spell in charge, and while it would be wrong to paint this side in the exact same light, they do share some key traits.
Firstly, they’ve managed to mostly keep the goals out. Another big plus is how they have kept the opposition’s key men out of games. Think back to how they kept Derry’s Shane McGuigan, Conor Glass and Brendan Rogers quiet or Tyrone’s Darragh Canavan and even Louth’s Sam Mulroy in the quarter-final.
That has been a cornerstone of Donegal’s success in the past. On top of that, they’re amassing big scorelines, averaging around 22 points per game. That’ll get the job done for most teams.
They have a marquee forward in Oisin Gallen but they haven’t been overly reliant on him or Patrick McBrearty for scores. Against Louth, they had 11 different scorers and we’ve seen big performances from players all over the pitch. Peadar Mogan has won back-to-back player of the month awards and will be a key outlet again on Sunday.
Scoring heavily, keeping out goals and nullifying key threats. Donegal will bring all three, but beating Dublin gave Galway’s challenge a huge shot in the arm.
Galway have been steady this year, and when you think about their road to this point, it’s hard not to be impressed. They beat Mayo in a tight Connacht final, faced Armagh and Derry in the group stage and toppled Dublin in the quarter-final.
They’re probably the most battle-hardened of the four remaining teams. Their average winning margin is around two points, too, so they have a habit of edging close games.
Galway have the ability to hurt teams with their powerplays in attack, but for me, their chances will hinge on whether or not they can keep their key men on the pitch.
Against Dublin, Damien Comer seemed to be limping at the end, Shane Walsh was forced off and they lost Sean Kelly in the first half. Walsh is a phenomenal forward and the type of scores he can conjure are not easily to replace.
But Galway’s strength in depth has helped them this year. Injury woes earlier in the season challenged Padraic Joyce but he adapted well and gave significant game time to a lot of his squad.
In the Dublin game, Joyce brought on Cein Darcy, Liam O Conghaile, Johnny Heaney, Cian Hernon and Tomo Culhane, all of whom have a lot of minutes in their legs – and that makes a difference.
They’re also a big side in the middle of the field. John Maher, Cillian McDaid and Paul Conroy are all at least 6ft 2ins. Jason McGee didn’t play against Louth but Donegal will need him back to combat Galway’s aerial presence.
Galway were able to field their strongest 15 against Dublin. They play with lovely variety and balance, but I’m backing Donegal to draw on the qualities that have gotten them to this stage and make the county’s first All-Ireland final in 10 years.
Michael Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport NI’s Matt Gault
