'If You Were A Galway Supporter, You’d Always Be On Edge With Them'

Recently retired Offaly footballer Nigel Dunne believes Galway's mettle will be tested against Derry on Sunday and will speak volumes about the level of resilience within the Tribe camp as they aim to finally end their long wait for the Sam Maguire and bounce back from their opening round loss to Dublin.

Tribesman manager Pádraic Joyce has brought the good times back by reaching two All-Ireland finals, but losses against Kerry and Armagh last year mean that Galway haven’t won the All-Ireland since 2001.

Galway, who completed four in a row in Connacht, were entered into the group of death alongside Dublin, Derry and Armagh, and after losing the first game, Dunne feels a real test of character awaits them this weekend.

"It’s far from a gimme and the only point Derry got in the league was in Celtic Park against Galway," he said on the RTÉ GAA podcast.

"The last 12 minutes against Armagh (for Derry), it’s all about how Derry are going to frame it - 'look we finished really strongly, we created five or six goal chances, we’ve turned a corner, we’ve stopped the rot'.

"Even though they didn’t get the win, they finished strongly against a mean Armagh side.

"Galway’s confidence will probably be a little bit on the floor but in all truth they were slightly unlucky, that game could have gone either way.

"It’s how they react to it now because this is a Galway team that hasn’t gotten over the line for Sam Maguire so they don’t have that resilience to lie back on.

"You're talking about two teams with everything to fight for. This is going to be the game of the weekend as far as I can see because there’s such jeopardy, whoever loses that’s probably their year over."

Dunne believes that the injuries to key duo Shane Walsh and Damien Comer have brought an uncertainty over the Galway line-up from week to week, and he believes it may be having a detrimental effect.

"If all things are equal and both teams bring their best, Galway will win.

"From an outsider point of view looking at Galway, I find it incredibly infuriating that – and it’s nobody’s fault and we’re talking about extremely gifted players - (but) there’s always injury concerns over Shane Walsh, Damien Comer, Seán Kelly. You’re talking three of their best players, three of the best players in the game. There's always, are they fit or are they not?

"That seems to be the case for a few years now. If I was a Galway supporter you’d always be on edge with them and I’m often wondering does that noise filter through to the players.

"I think you need a fully fit Shane Walsh to win an All-Ireland but it’s always is Shane Walsh fit. They need to get him fit, they need to do whatever it is to get him to the source of these problems."

Joyce will take the good and the bad news ahead of the game as Walsh returns from injury to start corner-forward while Comer fails to make the 26.