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Not too bad to get tickets here in Derry, if you're attached to a club anyway.
Anyone hear any stories about Dub's paying big money for tickets?

Really looking forward to the game myself.

With dub's habits of rotating the positions of their forwards, i wonder will the derry backs be assigned to track a certain opponent or just play the positions. i think id like to see lockhart on Alan Brogan if he starts in the full forward line, but wouldnt want him to be dragged out to centre-half back. This would also apply to McCloy if he is fit to play IMO.
Would be confident in Kevin McGuckins ability to play anywhere in the back line.

Hopefully Murphy will pull through, the extra week may help so fingers crossed. He was the missing link in the half forward line.
As for Devlin not being up to it against the Dub's i totally disagree. And the wide open spaces of Croker will benefit him even more, if you look at his off the ball movement it is first class. He is a very intelligent, unselfish player and seems to be working well with Paddy Bradley up front.

On Eoin Bradley, cant see him starting but would be a great weapon to bring on. If Derry are in trouble he should be introduced sooner rather than later, not with 10 mins to go and expected to turn the game around and get the scores.

I think the extra week will do McGuckin the world of good and he may just get the nod over Hinphey who was a bit out of sorts against Laois. At the back i would put Lockhart on Alan Brogan, McCloy on Vaughan and if he does start maybe McGuckin on Keaney, this all depends of course on McGuckins fitness. Mickey McGoldrick could maybe be pushed to wing back and id be confident in his ability out there too. Would have no concerns of putting McGuckin on the edge of the square.

Would also love to see Joe Diver play. His mobility, power and speed could be very dangerous, not to mention his aerial ability. he would work himself into the gorund for the team and would certainly be up for it!

Hound, are you referring to O'Shaughnessy the corner back?
Was wondering where he was, rated him very highly a couple of seasons ago when he done the shoulder in, wasn't that right?

On Declan Lally, i seen him in the sigerson final in 2006 and he was first class. Seen him as a better wing back than a forward.

Not sure bout Paul Murphy's injury Bogball, heard a couple of different reports, one that he had a dead leg, the other it was his knee and he is due to go for a scan. The knee may be more accurate as he had it wrapped up with ice at the end of the game and didnt do the warm-down obviously. Would be a huge loss. Took the goal really well and caused Joe Higgins endless problems.

So has everyone got their tickets sorted yet? 

Maybe going against the grain here, but some of that crap bout the Dub's behaviour on the hill and the snow epidemic is very stereotypical. We are here to talk abut the game!

Dubsforsam - My point is this, the hurling could have been played first then the minor game in which Derry are playing then the senior game. I have no problem with Hurling at all.
Being brutally honest i have no desire to see this game though but had intended on seeing the minor game in which my county are playing.

So if im going to go to see the derry minor game, it has an 11.30 start, then having to sit through a hurling game where my county is not playing to wait for the big game.

the derry and armagh game was in the melting point right until the very end, i dont see any reason why armagh could not have progressed to this stage as well, both teams were open to a lot of improvement after their provincial exits.

Bogball, not sure bout 15,000. You could be right though. Plus with derry minors playing that will help on the ticket front too. Typical GAA though, putting the derry v cork minor game on at 11.30 then the hurling game in between then the big one at 3pm! lot of derry folk will want to see the minors but its some wait through the hurling which they wouldnt be interested in!!

Anyone got any idea of what the "official" allocation of tickets will be amongst the counties?
If you lads have any contacts in Roscommon / Cork / Armagh you may be able to get tickets because Derry minors play Cork, then Nicky R Cup final between armagh and roscommon.

Thankfully i ahve tickets and all sorted!
Quite confident of getting more, any one wanna start the bidding....? 

Dublin 1/3       Draw 15/2         Derry 3/1

Bit of value with derry there i think. On the handicap you will probably get +3 points at Even's.
the 2 week break will do Derry no harm, with Lynch, McGoldrick and Murphy picking up injuries and retiring against Laois. Any one any updates on these? Plus another 2 weeks will help Kevin McGuckin and help Eoin Bradley's cause. However he did not even warm up once during the Laois game, i thought he would have been thrown in near the end up front.

Really looking froward to the match. I genuinely think derry can spring a surprise but it will take some big performances. My worry is that we could maybe snuff out one of the Dub's forwards like Keaney / Brogan / Vaughan but it would be some task keeping them all relatively quiet on the scoring front on the one day. But we have the players to step up to themark so who knows?!

Dublin's kick outs are well documented so derry will have to do their homework here i.e who is going to track Shane Ryan out to the wings to try and thwart this.

There's talk of Derry maybe being fazed by the occassion and all but all the team has played in Croker before betwen Minors, 01, 04 and 05. Only one's who im not sure have played there are; Hinphey, Conway and Devlin, correct me if im wrong. But i wouldnt be too worried about these lads anyway and im sure they could adapt the best.

Congratulations to Whitecross on their victory last night and to super sub Colly O'Hanlon! 

I also heard on good authority that Cullyhanna lads were lookin odds on themselves for all-ireland.
my, how that backfired on them!

I think what Mooncat is highlighting is that there a lot of clubs in a close geographical catchment area, therefore dispersing the talent across more clubs.

On the other side of the coin, if Culloville, silverbridge and naomh malachi's were located slightly closer to Cross, then Cross may have lost out on a few players on the periphery of their parish.

at last someone with a brain,    exactly what ive been tryin to get through to the rest here

No problem buddy! 

I think what Mooncat is highlighting is that there a lot of clubs in a close geographical catchment area, therefore dispersing the talent across more clubs.

On the other side of the coin, if Culloville, silverbridge and naomh malachi's were located slightly closer to Cross, then Cross may have lost out on a few players on the periphery of their parish.

I also thought Sligo's win was worth a mention, but for me as a Derry man, it was Enda Muldoon's chipped goal against Mayo in the qualifiers. Something special! 

That was the nail.

Didnt mean for that to be the nail in the coffin Fishead! 
A super bit of skill though im sure you will agree, not something you see every weekend!

Also on the same game as some one mentioned, McGarrity's introduction was very heartening, fair play to him!

looking at the tickets available it seems that section 309(lower Cusack) and 328(Lower Hogan) (both 13-21 yard line) row A and then some in the upper Cusack (between MF and 65, no Upper Hogan available) are available, not great seats but seats none the less.

Would this be similar for the Dublin standalone game on Sat 11th? Might head down to it but tickets would be hard to come by!

This is the day Tyrone will be in action aint it?
Double header?

I also thought Sligo's win was worth a mention, but for me as a Derry man, it was Enda Muldoon's chipped goal against Mayo in the qualifiers. Something special!