Derry and Galway flying as opportunity knocks in All-Ireland semi-final: Peter Canavan column
Peter Canavan examines where the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final between the Oak Leaf County and the Tribesmen will be won and lost. Watch Derry vs Galway from 5pm on Saturday and Dublin vs Kerry from 3pm Sunday live on Sky Sports Arena.
Tuesday 5 July 2022 12:38, UK
Derry and Galway came through different paths at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage.
But both enter Saturday's All-Ireland semi-final in a healthy place.
The Oak Leaf County are flying. They beat Clare at their ease.
The style and energy with which they're playing is bound to be hugely satisfying for Rory Gallagher.
In contrast, the Tribesmen had to dig deep. They couldn't have been in a worse position at the end of normal time against Armagh, having let a six-point lead slip in injury time.
With the benefit of hindsight, the melee didn't do them any harm. But they weren't in a good place facing into extra-time.
The Connacht champions were the better team, and knew they should not be facing extra-time. They should already have been in an All-Ireland semi-final.
To turn that around, to come out and play the way they did and the manner of their victory will galvanise the Tribesmen.
Pádraic Joyce alluded to it after the game - it's a monkey off their back. Galway had not won a knockout championship game at Croke Park since 2001.
They came up with the goods in front of a brilliant atmosphere.
It sets up a brilliant semi-final.
Can Tribe crack the Derry conundrum?
Joyce will know the challenge that lies ahead and the style of football they will have to play against Derry.
When Armagh had a lot of bodies back, I thought Galway were very patient. They didn't kick the ball needlessly. They were prepared to pass it around the D until they put a shooter in a good position. They will not be fazed by playing against the Derry system.
Knowing Joyce, he'll go for it. Galway will be looking for goals, like when the sides met in the National League earlier this year.
You'd be foolish to look too much into that March clash, in the context of Saturday.
But Galway went after Derry goalkeeper Odhrán Lynch that day.
Rory Gallagher's side were missing some key players, and the men in maroon pushed up on the kick-outs. Galway have a physical presence around the midfield, and they cracked Derry.
I think they're going to have to do that again at Croke Park.
The danger with that is you can leave yourself open over the top for a long one.
In the Ulster final, Donegal intended to target Derry's restarts. But it wasn't until the 24th minute that Donegal won their first kick-out.
The Oak Leaf County get so many players back, maybe 10 or 11 inside their own 45, so they will be wanting to hit it short.
If Galway push up and are really aggressive, don't be surprised to see Derry try to hit them over the top.
One thing going in Galway's favour is a stronger bench.
The longer the game goes on, even if it goes to extra-time, Joyce will be happy with that. He had players that came on and made a difference the last day. I certainly believe it is the one factor that Derry struggle on if they were to pick up any injuries. Their strength in depth is not where I believe where Rory Gallagher would want it to be.
Derry gathering momentum
Derry will need to continue to get the big scores when required, and they have shown they are not afraid to go for goals.
When those positions present themselves, they have been ruthless.
The pace at which they're moving forward at is really impressive. They commit numbers to attack very quickly, and they work so hard for one another when they don't have the ball. And not just getting back for the sake of getting back. They're getting back, working hard, being involved in turnovers.
They will be disappointed that teams are getting as many shots away against them. Donegal and Clare did, and they were able to penetrate them for goal opportunities too. Derry will be concerned that teams are getting too many shots away.
I believe that they may present a wee bit more going forward than Galway, and that's why I'm edging towards Derry on Saturday.
They nullify the strengths of the opposition so well. They target their main players, and have the tools to do it effectively.
The match-ups will be intriguing. Will Chrissy McKaigue pick up Shane Walsh?
There was a lot of commentary before the Armagh game that if you stop Walsh and Damien Comer, you go a long way to stopping Galway. But that no longer appears to be the case.
Not counting Walsh and Comer, the rest of the Tribe players combined for 2-12 from open play against the Orchard County.
Rob Finnerty and Matthew Tierney in particular have stood up. Finnerty kicked four excellent points. Tierney made some excellent runs, and was unlucky not to end up with more than 0-2.
So could McKaigue track Finnerty, with Brendan Rogers following Walsh?
Rogers took Michael Murphy in the Ulster final, and the Slaughtneil man punished Murphy going in the opposite direction. This could be a tactic they use on Shane Walsh as well.
It's really well set up, and the game, I wouldn't be surprised if extra-time is needed to produce a winner.
Sky Sports live GAA coverage continues next weekend, with the All-Ireland SFC semi-finals. Watch Derry vs Galway from 5pm Saturday and Dublin vs Kerry from 3pm Sunday live on Sky Sports Arena.
