Tribesmen counter-attack can cause problems but hard to look past Gavin’s men

REMAINING unbeaten in the seven-match Division 1 campaign is unusual enough, but when a team does that in the their first season after winning promotion, it inevitably attracts attention.

So it is with Galway, who booked in for their first Division 1 final in 12 years after taking 13 of a possible 14 points after six wins and a draw with Dublin.

Taking a point off Dublin is an excellent result for any team, let alone Division 1 newcomers.

Sport moves on quickly, however, and it’s always about the next challenge and how a team responds to it.

What has gone before won’t matter a whole lot tomorrow. Circumstances have changed from divisional games to a high-powered final, complete with all the pressures that brings.

It’s familiar territory for Dublin, who will be playing in their 11th national final (including one replay) in six seasons. Their record of eight wins, one draw and one defeat from the previous ten underlines how comfortable they are on the big day. And so they should be. Not only do they have the strongest panel in the game, all their big games are in Croke Park, their natural home.

Dublin’s efficiency in finals is well-proven, whereas it’s brand new to this Galway team.

A year ago, they were delighted to win the Division 2 title after ending a six-season exile away from Division 1, so remaining in the top f light would have been regarded as progress this year.

Their 25/1 odds to win the title attracted few backers, who instead would have eyed the relegation market as a more sensible option.

Galway’s massive improvement has been the story of the league, going from a team that conceded large amounts on big days last year to a miserly lot, whose average concession rate against seven top opponents came in at under 12 points per game. Even Dublin, the highest scorers in the campaign, were held to 13 points.

So what’s different about Galway’s defensive game this year? And will it last under the much higher pressure Dublin will apply tomorrow?

The difference lies not so much in the structure, but in the clear definitions brought to a system where everyone knows and understands their role.

It’s accompanied by a slick counter-attacking game, which defences find difficult to counteract. Question is – will either be as reliable tomorrow against such high-powered opposition? And will Galway be able to overcome the disadvantage of playing Dublin in Croke Park.

Okay, so Monaghan beat Dublin there last Sunday and while it was a noteworthy achievement for Malachy O’Rourke’s men, the fact remains that Jim Gavin’s men did not need to win to reach the final. The stakes are in an altogether higher orbit tomorrow as Dublin attempt to win the league for the fifth time in six years. There’s the added incentive too of avoiding a league final defeat for a second successive season, having lost to Kerry last year.

For Galway, it’s a shot to nothing. They would love to win the league for the first time since 1981 but even if they don’t, the campaign will still have been a major staging post on their upward journey. The big fear among Galway supporters is that the squad isn’t ready for a test of this magnitude just yet and that Dublin could win quite comfortably.

Dublin demolished Derry in the 2014 final and Cork a year later, setbacks from which neither county has recovered.

Galway are at a different stage of their development than Derry or Cork and have the energy, the structure and the ambition to raise a far more substantial challenge. Mayo have stretched Dublin to the limit without beating them in recent years so Gavin will be very wary of the latest ‘pest from the west’.

Galway are good enough to remain competitive all the way, but the title looks Dublin-bound for a 13th time.