Damian Stack looks at some of the stories making backpage news over the past seven days Galway show progress despite Donegal defeat

THE two of them sat back, held station. On one side Liam Silke. On the other Gareth Bradshaw (below). Facing the Canal End goal the two Galway wing-backs stood as sentries, determined to stop Donegal in their tracks.

To our mind they – and Kevin Walsh – took their inspiration from the roles played by Fionn Fitzgerald and Killian Young in last September’s All Ireland final. That day two of the best ball-playing half-backs in the game curbed their natural instincts in the pursuit of the greater good.

At times you could see the two Galway men straining at the leash. With Galway on the attack Silke would make a dash towards the halfway line before catching himself, before realising that on this day, against this opposition, this wasn’t the best use of resources.

It’s what Donegal want. They want to suck you in and pick you off on the counter. If you refuse to play by their rules, refuse to do what they want you to, then they can be gotten at, they can be beaten.

Galway didn’t win, in fact they were beaten by nine points and could have little complaint about it, still there were encouraging signs that the Tribesmen are moving in the right direction.

There seems to be a growing tactical sophistication to their play. We’ve long known that they’ve got the football and the footballers to return to the top table, the question was one of application. Did Galway have the discipline to do what needs to be done to be competitive in 2015?

Against Donegal they demonstrated that they do. They showed that they’re willing to swallow a certain amount of the pride they have in their traditions and adapt to the realities of football as it’s now played.

Contrast that with how Kildare approached the game with Kerry less than twenty four hours later. Sure they dropped a man back as sweeper in front of the Kerry full-forward line. The right thing to do for sure, largely cosmetic all the same without greater application, without being part of a wider defensive strategy.

There wasn’t much sign of progression from Kildare between the mauling they got from Dublin and the even greater mauling they received at the hands of a particularly ruthless Kingdom.

The Lilies didn’t learn their lesson. We’re not even sure if they understood the question on the basis of a lot of what we saw on Sunday afternoon. Galway at least do. They’re showing signs of progress, evolution.

Bearing in mind all the time that progress is hardly ever linear. There are going to be false dawns and knock-backs. It’s quite often going to be a case of one step forward, two steps back.

For as much progress as Galway have shown this year, there is still (obviously) a huge amount to work on. For one thing they lack the aggression of the top sides. Donegal too easily bullied them.

Take breaking ball as the barometer. Donegal

won twice as much of it as Galway did – Odhrán MacNiallais was absolutely sensational around the middle of the park on Saturday evening – suggesting a lack of physicality and aggression in the middle third.

Fiontán Ó Curraoin and Tomás Flynn as a partnership have huge potential, they’re not where they need to be for Galway to make the step up to the top just yet. In time they will be. Midfielders take time to mature and grow into the role – compare the Anthony Maher of 2015 to the Anthony Maher of 2010.

Galway’s forwards equally need to mature and grow into their roles. We lost count of the amount of times they carried the ball into contact only to be turned over easily in the tackle – the corner-forwards, Adrian Varley and Danny Cumins especially.

That, of course, speaks to Donegal’s enduring strength, figuratively and literally. They’re not what they were and, yet, they retain enough of what they were to make them powerful adversaries for any challenger.

When they’re good they’re as good as ever. MacNiallais we’ve already touched upon. Murphy we know all about. They’ve got the McHughs. They’ve got McFadden (inconsistent, but when on his game this guy is as good as what’s out there).

Donegal do, however, have a worrying tendency to drift in and out of games. They went thirty one minutes without registering a score last weekend. Do something similar against Mayo and their goose will be cooked. It’s a game Mayo should win, if only because of Donegal’s failings in front of the sticks. When they were at their best they’d take nearly every sniff at goal they had. Right now they’re very nearly the opposite of that.

Last weekend Donegal managed to take just 46% of their chances. That just won’t do against Mayo, no matter the question marks over their fullback line (Murphy will surely start and stay at full-forward on Saturday evening).

Donegal, we maintain, were there for the taking last weekend, just as they will be this weekend. Where Galway weren’t yet in a place to take advantage, Mayo, with their years of experience, should be. It’s one of those now or never affairs for both counties involved.

Galway, meanwhile, still have time on their side.