Dublin's unique training routine that readied them for Donegal in the 2011 All-Ireland semi-final

On Sunday afternoon, Dublin will face Donegal at Croke Park as they fight for Division 1 survival.

It is the latest meeting of two sides that have shared some memorable battles over the past decade.

In his autobiography Love of the Game, which was released this month, then-Dublin selector Mickey Whelan recounts the 2011 All-Ireland semi-final between the teams.

Dublin, searching for their first Sam Maguire Cup success in 16 years, had been building under Pat Gilroy and Whelan. In their way stood an emerging Donegal side, who were making strides under Jim McGuinness.

"We had seen how Donegal committed numbers back when the opposition had the ball. And they would pour forward with pace when they won possession," recalls Whelan.

"So how could we be ready?

"At our training matches, we decided we would play 15 vs 18. That would prepare our lads to play against a disproportionate number of players in a certain area of the field.

"We wanted our six forwards to be able to handle nine defenders. We wanted our six backs to be able to handle their nine forwards when they were storming up the field. In the training match, we might even throw one extra body in against the team of 15 without announcing it to the group. It would teach them to adapt to the situation and come up with a solution.

"We also had to warn against the temptation to pour forward.

"Donegal had shown how good they were on the turnover and how dangerous they were on the break. They could hurt us."

'It was gruelling'

The players were thrown the curve-ball in training.

"When we were playing training matches, Mickey used to put in extra defenders," Alan Brogan recalls in Love of the Game.

"It made sense, because that's what we were going to be up against playing Donegal. To be fair to him and Pat, they were very tactically astute, and thought about what was coming down the line. With that game coming, we knew that Donegal were going to have a lot of men behind the ball. So they set the training sessions that way.

"It was a very difficult couple of weeks leading into it. And at times, it was disheartening! As a forward in the lead-up to a match, you like to play a couple of games, get your hands on the ball and kick a few scores to get your confidence up. Games which you usually enjoyed... and all of a sudden, six of us forwards were playing against nine or 10 defenders.

"It was gruelling. He obviously prepared us very well for what lay ahead in that game. It was another sign of how well Mickey and Pat prepared the team, and how forward-thinking they were in terms of getting the team prepared for what was coming down the line."

'It was all about getting through the match with a win'

It was far from a classic, but Dublin did enough to get over the line.

"I have never been involved in a match like it," Whelan continues. "You would often have a man back to give more cover. Instead of just two midfielders for kick-outs and that, we always had two wing-forwards to drop back to help and give an option.

"But this was a different level altogether.

"They led 0-4 to 0-2 at half-time. Awful stuff.

"But we sat back and they couldn't get through us. We ended up coming out on top, 0-8 to 0-6. Two points was a significant winning margin in that particular game, given the circumstances.

"It was all about getting through the match with a win. We would have taken a 0-1 to 0-0 scoreline! It proved that we were able to adapt. Dublin would be willing to play a variety of ways, but still come out with a victory.

"We only scored two points from play. It must have been awful to look at for the neutrals.

"The thing about it was... Donegal expected us to play our normal game. So they thought they would be flushing guys forward and over-running our defence. But we were sitting back waiting for them.

"It screwed them up... it screwed the game up, but it meant we were through to an All-Ireland final... our first in 16 years."

Mickey Whelan, Love of the Game is now on sale in book stores now