GAA: Galway v Waterford All-Ireland hurling final key battles

We take a look at the key areas which could decide the outcome of Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final between Galway and Waterford, live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event.

Midfield

Waterford captain Kevin Moran and Jamie Barron are up against Galway captain David Burke and Johnny Coen and whoever comes out on top here could well be walking up the steps of the Hogan Stand around 5.15pm on Sunday to collect the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

All four players have performed magnificently all championship and while Burke and Coen have only contributed 0-11 so far, Moran and Barron have combined for 4-20, including 2-05 against Cork in the semi-final.

Coen spent the first five years of his Galway inter-county career in defence before moving up to midfield and his defensive capabilities will be needed as he shadows Barron around the middle of the field.

This will leave the captains to fight it out for supremacy…and the likely honour of being the first captain of their county to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup for a long time.

Speaking during the build-up to Sunday's game, Burke said, "I came up against Kevin loads of times in college hurling and he is a spiritual leader for them. Johnny and I have been chatting since the game and looking to see how we can nullify their threat. They will be doing the same. The midfield battle is key and whoever wins it will probably win the game."

The 27-year-old is as honest in interviews as he is on the pitch and admitted that the Tipperary midfield of Brendan Maher and Michael Breen edged the midfield battle in the semi-final, even though Galway won the game, thanks to Joe Canning's point in the fourth minute of injury time.

"There were aspects of our performance against Tipp we weren't happy about. There is massive scope for improvement for me personally in the game," he said.

"We might have lost the midfield battle and still got over the line. If we don't win the midfield battle the next day will we still win the game? Myself and Johnny will still be thinking about that."

Galway's forwards v Waterford's sweeper system

Thankfully for Galway, Joe Canning isn't shouldering the pressure of getting all the scores. He has excellent players around him in Conor Cooney, Joe Cooney, Conor Whelan and Niall Burke.

On average, Galway are splitting the uprights around 25 times a game but they have only scored two goals in the championship, in their first game against Dublin. If Galway are to finally beat Waterford in the championship, they will need to beat Stephen O'Keeffe. The 26-year-old Ballygunner goalkeeper has been in spectacular form this summer, only letting in three goal, two against Kilkenny and a consolation goal for Wexford in the quarter-finals.

He pulled off some wonder saves against Cork and Kilkenny on the way to the final.

Waterford have had no problems in front of goal, scoring an impressive 11-115 in five games, including 4-23 against Kilkenny and 4-19 against Cork. They have also only conceded 3-98 in five games.

In four games, Galway have scored 2-102 and conceded 4-63. They have conceded one goal in each of their games and you'd be surprised if they didn't concede at least one on Sunday as well.

With Tadhg de Burca back in the sweeper role after his one-match suspension, Darragh Fives could go on Canning. Conor Gleeson is a massive loss for Waterford. Canning does not operate as a traditional forward, he is given a lot of freedom in the final third of the park and can drag Fives into positions where he won't be able to cover De Burca. Getting the ball into the forwards against seven defenders is going to be tough and this is where the Galway goalkeeper comes into it.

Colm Callanan's puck-outs

As mentioned above, with seven Waterford defenders marshalled by Fives and de Burca, Callanan's puck-outs are going to have a massive impact on the outcome of this final. If he goes short, any possession won by Waterford will result in a score. If he goes long, he's playing the percentages with outnumbered players.

The runs by the forwards in training and his delivery will have been worked on constantly. You would expect a lot of balls into the left and right half forwards with Canning coming wide to offer help as well.

The bench

There's few cheers from the terrace like the rumble from Waterford fans when a Shanahan is getting ready to come onto a game in the second half. From Dan Shanahan back in the early 2000s to Maurice now coming on, it lifts the crowd and gets the Deise going. The shoulder that is traditionally given to his marker is greeted with huge cheers. Brian O'Halloran can also make a big impact off the bench and for Galway, Johnny Glynn can come on to join Conor Cooney and Whelan up front and create havoc too.

Coverage gets underway on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event from 2.30pm on Sunday with throw-in at 3.30pm

For those out and about you can follow the action with us on @SkySportsGAA and via our live blog at www.skysports.com/GAA