Paul Flynn previews Derry-Galway & Dublin-Armagh
Derry v Galway: A must-win showdown
Galway's championship this year is certainly turning into a bit of a rollercoaster. Their provincial triumph over Mayo feels like a distant memory now after that lacklustre performance against Dublin.
And while Dublin were decent that day, Galway's key players were effectively shut down - a scenario they cannot afford to repeat if they hope to leave Derry with a win.
Paul Conroy has to be the heartbeat of the Galway attack and if Derry man-mark him, they rest of the guys have to step up and help free him up to get him on the ball. They need Shane Walsh to perform, to find his rhythm after his injury. A big performance from him is really, really required. Up front, Rob Finnerty and Matthew Thompson have been good and now they need to rest of the attack to support them.
Their midfield, typically their strength, faltered against Dublin and faces another stern test against Derry's formidable quartet of Conor Glass, Anton Tohill, Dan Higgins and Brendan Rogers - whichever formation of them start. The outcome of that midfield battle will be decisive. Derry's attack, we know they have talismanic forwards, and Paul Cassidy and Shane McGuigan played well the last day, scoring ten between them against Armagh.
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Like Galway, Derry will need more of a collective effort in attack to prevail. These team played out a draw in the league in February and that feels like a long time ago now. It's going to be another tight contest, one that is really hard to call. But for me, it's so hard to see last year's All-Ireland finalists bowing out of the championship now and I expect Galway to find a way to grind out a victory here.
Dublin v Armagh: Expect a Croker classic
Armagh and Dublin meet in the championship for the first time since 2010. I played in that game, and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty. Dublin scraped an ugly win, and they'd gladly take the same result this weekend.
Dublin have been formidable in Croke Park this season, at times looking like a different team compared to the other performances, but this is their toughest test yet, with Con O'Callaghan now absent from the squad. As always with the way team announcements are made now, we likely won't know the full picture of who's playing where until throw-in.
Armagh have been excellent in recent weeks, showing real quality even in their loss against Donegal. Against Derry, they dominated the game for 55 minutes before a little bit of a lapse in concentration flattered the scoreboard a bit.
They have got depth, they have got talent, and now have the magic of Rian O'Neill back who thrives in Croke Park. O'Neill isn't alone; Oisin Conaty has been in super form, Conor Turbitt was excellent off the bench the last day and Rory Grugan is still the main link in attack. That said, Armagh will need to perform for 70 minutes this weekend.
Any lapse and Dublin's high energy and high-press style will really punish them. Ciarán Kilkenny's form will be crucial in the attack to try and penetrate that Armagh zonal defence. But for me, I really want to see Lorcan O'Dell, Killian McGuinness and Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne build on their strong performances against Galway. If Dublin bring their high intensity power-plays and have their key players firing, they can win. But without the energy - and without O'Callaghan - this might be a stretch too far for them.
This game has all the makings of a classic.
Watch Dublin v Armagh in the All-Ireland Football Championship on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm
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