IT’S All-Ireland semi-final time. On side side of the draw, we have a clash of the two most successful counties with 67 All Ireland titles between them, Kerry and Dublin.

Dublin won the most recent clash, an All Ireland final back in 2019 on a score line of 1-18 to 0-15, but something tells me this weekend’s clash will be much tighter!

The other semi-final is certainly a novel pairing. When the draw pitted Connacht against Ulster in the semi-final this year, many people might have looked to a repeat of last year’s All Ireland final of Mayo and Tyrone. Instead its Connacht champions Galway facing Ulster champions Derry.

nterestingly all four provincial winners have made it through to the last four with only Galway having to really work for their semi final spot while Dublin, Kerry and Derry ermeged as comfortable winners in their quarter-finals.

Looking at Derry v Galway, where I see the game being won depends on a range of factors. I think we can expect the opening exchanges to be very tactical and attritional with both teams keeping possession of the ball for long periods.

Both will feel their way cautiously into the match and neither team will want to be chasing the game. Both teams are very good when they get in front of the opposition because of the counter-attacking style of football they both play.

Neither Derry nor Galway had to really chase a game this year (i.e. falling behind by four or five points) and if that was to happen either side this weekend it would be ultimately a disaster for both gameplans.

I feel Derry could really exploit the Galway goalkeeper Conor Gleeson who has come in for extra scrutiny since the Armagh game where he was involved in several big mistakes for Armagh goals. His kick-outs have also come under fierce pressure late on in their games against Mayo, Roscommon and Armagh and if Derry decide to go after his kick-out in the same manner they went after Clare’s, it could have a significant impact on the game!

Interestingly though, as much as Derry might target Gleeson, they could have a similar problem with their own restarts if Galway go after Lynch in the same manner they did in Owenbeg in the national league this year back in March.

Galway went hard, high and heavy on their press and scored a number of goals in the first=half that day and effectively ended the game as a contest. With Conroy, Tierney and McDaid hovering around that middle third, Galway have size, experience and power.

It could be a case of Derry drawing Galway into a press on Saturday and then going over the top and trying to hurt them that way.

It will only take Derry to catch Galway on an over the top kick-out once or twice and that then might take the heat of the press and allow Derry to get shorter ones away.

Another fascinating aspect to the game will be the match-up scenarios. Gallagher sprung a surprise the last day out by putting Brendan Rodgers in midfield to expose the lack of mobility of the Clare midfield. He might possibly operate Rodgers on McDaid or Tierney this week who have been hugely influential in Galway’s season and McKaigue will unquestionably go onto Shane Walsh who is a match winner in his own regard.

At the other end of the pitch, Galway captain Kelly, having been cleared to play, will likely pick up McGuigan who at the present moment in time is one of the most deadly forwards in the country.

McGuigan’s class alongside the guile of Benny Herron and the pace throughout their side will make Derry a very formidable force this weekend.

It promises to be another cracking game, with both teams having possibly the greatest chance of reaching an All Ireland final that they will ever get!

It could be decided in extra-time but for me, Derry are a side in total harmony with their manager and gameplan and it is the Oakleafers to shade it for me.