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For Derry what counts is the narrative. They need to do better than the Galway match last year. They won't be able to run the paranoid defence for 75 minutes. They need a plan B. They need to be accurate.They do not want to get hammered again. That would make the drive back to Derry very difficult.

Hopefully Kerry won't be as ultra defensive as galway were last year. I have a feeling Kerry will be very well set up though because of paddy tally. That is what I'd worry most about this game, that the creativity and flair of the Derry attack will be blunted by the Kerry set up.

It will be a difficult approach I feel, tactically do Derry stick with cautious defensive early approach and take advantages of counter attacking Kerry?

Or do they say, f**k it, let's go out and die with our boots on and unlock the chains?

Derry will definitely go with the cautious defensive approach. In fact, i think they go back to the tactics that served them well in 2022. Ultra defensive, intense, counter attacking. All 15 within their own 45. 2023 has saw them commit bodies further forward, but this approach will be cast aside on Sunday.
Glass in particular will have to maintain a position quite close to his full back line. Derry will be susceptible to direct high ball into Guiney and D Clifford.

Have Derry senior footballers ever beaten Kerry in a championship match in their history?

This game will come down to whether Derry's flair and creativity up front for which they've been lauded this season can overcome the ultra defensive setup of paddy tallys kerry. Derry have shown a fantastic ability to open up packed defences but came unstuck in last year's semifinal when galway came with an ultra defensive setup. Unfortunately I think Kerry will copy that approach and it will inevitably curtail our scoring chances. At the other end Derry will be well organised but it's impossible to totally cancel out Clifford.If we limit him there are so many other threats but hopefully we can be close.

That's Ridiculous, 9 games to win a Derry Championship. another 5 for an  All-Ireland. Talk about increasing county players burnout. This format will totally pole axe whoever comes out of, Derry. To even win a Ulster Championship. What bright spark thought this one up. Git the sniff of a money Making scheme about it.

Only 2 teams will have to play 9 games. The league's are finished already so these games are the only ones that county players will play for their clubs this year. Clubs shouldn't be relegated when they haven't had county players available. In tyrone there are 10 games left in the league plus championship after that so county players there now have a potential 14 games to play. Other counties are similar.

I was at a munster final in 1974, and there was a fracas on the hill, and while iI didn't see it myself i was told at least one person  produced a knife.

The crowd scattered to the 4 winds but it was all over in a couple of minutes or less.

Ah lads.

Stuff like that happened all the time - i definitely recall a story in primary school to be careful of students from a school we were playing as there was knifeplay in or around Croker previously. Derry and Dublin had a mental dingdong in the 80's with bottles flying.

It's rare but it's not new

This shouldn't have happened...What the hell was Derry doing in Croker in the 1980s...

Sounds plausible. The Dublin fans were most likely there to support Meath v Derry in 1987. Definitely sounds like it could be true.

For all Mayos 1st half play dublin were 1 ahead at the break and they'd kicked 3 balls into the keepers hands plus a few bad wides.

That miss is why mayo will never win the AI. mcglughlin empty net from a few yards out and hits the post. On his good foot too.

15 mins played. Dublin 0-3 Mayo 0-3.   Goal for Dublin 1-3 to 0-4!

ohora the thug is getting roasted.

Couldn't really understand how Tyrone were being talked about in this conversation ... they've a long way to go to get back!!

Kerry not taking Tyrone on in midfield is the winning of it and I don't know why Tyrone have been giving the ball up short all day MF is their strongest line.

It's a pity John Heslin missed that free. Westmeath might've made a game out of this.

Best draw Derry could have got at this stage.
Cork have improved a fair bit since we played them in the league.
I reckon we are at the same level as we were back then....so I think this will be a closer tougher game than people think.
Derry should win, but I wouldn't expect it to be easy.
Happy to avoid Mayo tbh.

Totally agree. Mayo were the team to avoid out of who we could've got. Cork will be tough, as they've improved significantly and have momentum, but it's a winnable game. It should be a real physical battle also so if we come through it will be better preparation for a semi than last years qf.

It's a sellout ?

Is this the first real knockout game between Galway and Mayo since the back door qualifiers were introduced?

If Cork can beat Mayo then they have a good chance against Roscommon.

It wouldn't be a surprise if one or two of these games went to penalties. I fancy Kildare, Tyrone, Roscommon and Mayo but all of the games could go either way.

[over by the end of July is shocking]

I've decided to wait on Killarney for next weekend rather than go to Leitrim this weekend. What a shitty ground and venue for such a game, the low crowd and slow uptake in tickets says it all. Was not a game for Croker either as it would only have been 1/3 full...possible double header with 50-60k but the ideal ground would have been Brefni Pk or Tullamore etc. Anyway I expect Armagh to put up another gallant performance but still lose and play Kerry the following weekend which will probably be the end of their season (hope i'm wrong on both). This format is crap and fully expect change next year...The dates are a load of bollix...The Inter County season to be over by the end of July is shocking...

Why do you say that? The vast majority of players are club players and they deserve a decent, proper structured season. We need to give it another year or 2 but the split season looks good so far. The games coming thick and fast is brilliant and means the season isn't stretched out for no reason.

The only thing keeping any interest in this league it the Celtic Rangers sectarian rivalry. Nobody is watching for the quality of the football or the quality of the competition.

Both Celtic and Rangers would immediately be top half of the overrated epl even without the injection of tv money.  With tv money Celtic would be in the top 4 without a doubt. They have fans all over the world. Just last year Rangers reached the final of the europa league and were only beaten on penalties. The epl representatives who were good enough to be top 6 in england fell by the wayside beaten by better teams from so called lesser leagues.

Gallen is a serious operator class he deserved MOTM.

Tremendous game between 2 good attacking sides. Derry could've scored 3 or 4 more goals and Donegal should've had another couple. Lots of great points taken also. Great to see football played like that with 2 teams going for it.

Not much fight in Armagh at present. Very disappointing.

O'neill deservedly sent off. He's a liability, should've been sent off v Derry. Brilliant footballer if he concentrated on that.

Money racket. 24 matches to eliminate four teams....

I like the idea of it. If only 2 teams were to go through in each group it could lead to a really good team going out unfairly eg Mayo beat Kerry in the first game, mayo already qualified put out a complete reserve team for last game and Kerry get eliminated as a result. We want to see the very best teams in the last 4. Last season Derry got a record points total in division 2 but weren't promoted because an already promoted Galway side put out a reserve side v Roscommon. That's why it's good that 3 go through, to avoid that kind of scenario.