By Cian O’Connell

For 48 interesting minutes Rory Gallagher and Michael Murphy spoke to the assembled media about Donegal’s All Ireland SFC quarter-final against Dublin.

Donegal’s 2014 semi-final success against Dublin was referenced on several occasions, but what carries the most relevance for Gallagher is how his team have coped in the 2016 Championship.

Matches with Fermanagh, Monaghan (twice), Tyrone, and Cork have all been hard fought. Donegal’s record of three wins, one draw, and one loss is satisfactory and they’ve taken encouragement.

“I think if we go back to before the championship started people would have looked at Monaghan, Tyrone and Cork – three teams that we played – they’d all be considered no matter what to be in the top seven teams in the country,” is Gallagher’s assessment about Donegal’s journey to the last eight.

“People talk about confidence, we are playing a sport where you want to win every single game, it’s not like a league basis where you just move on.

“While we’d be exceptionally disappointed not to win the Ulster Championship, we played Monaghan twice, Cork and Tyrone. We came up short in injury-time against Tyrone.

“It was disappointing to be sure, but a great opportunity to learn and there is also the security that you’ve played three teams from the top seven in four games. You’ve done an awful lot of things right and that’s very important for us to understand that and move forward.”

Dublin, though, will provide the ultimate test – a fact that Gallagher is willing to admit. “No doubt at the start of the year you look at everybody, you look at who the potential rivals in Ulster are going to be,” Gallagher commented.

“You start mapping out the other big teams if you do get to Croke Park, and Dublin are definitely one of them. You feel if you are to win an All-Ireland you have to be ready to play Dublin, that’s always in the back of your mind to be sure.

“It’s our job as a management team to do homework on all of who you would see as your potential rivals. You have got to take the opportunities to watch them in the flesh during the league, take the opportunity to watch them on the television and keep an eye on all of their Championship matches.”

Donegal learned lessons from their two Allianz Football League defeats against Dublin this year according to Gallagher. "We did, yeah, The first day we went out we contained them well as a defensive unit, and, barring giving away a bad goal, we only conceded 1-10, but obviously we did not put up enough scores. Then the second day it was more of a shoot-out, Dublin really pushed on but at the end of the day there is only one show in town and that is the Championship."

Gallagher stresses just how ‘consistent’ Dublin have been during the past decade. “With Dublin there is no doubt that they've been the most consistent team in the country. They have only lost two Championship matches in the last five years, going into the sixth year now.

“From Stephen Cluxton out they have got a very defined gameplan. He is brilliant from his kickouts, they like to kick the ball, but they have adapted themselves to playing against these defensive set-ups. They are able to keep the ball moving. Overall they bring an awful lot of quality, they bring a huge work rate. We would very much respect the honesty of effort they bring as a group.”

Rory O’Carroll and Jack McCaffrey’s absence during this summer continues to be debated, while the excellent James McCarthy is set to return following injury. “I think everybody knows the amount of quality players they have at their disposal is phenomenal,” Gallagher said.

“It is almost forgotten they are missing Alan Brogan as well, who, in our opinion in our group, he was one of the greatest forwards that ever played the game. He may not have seen as much game time last year, but he is definitely someone they'd like to have in their locker as well.

“We all know with their club and underage structures they've players coming in. They developed John Small. When he came in last year he was seen more as a sweeper, now he is an attacking half back who goes up the field. I think they are well able to push Philly McMahon or Jonny Cooper out to the half back line. They had Eric Lowndes the last day, they moved Ciaran Kilkenny to wing back and brought Paddy Andrews in.

“There is no county better equipped, there is no point in denying that. At the same time everybody knows Jack McCaffrey, James McCarthy, Rory O'Carroll, and Alan Brogan - they are as good players as has played in their positions in the last 10 or 12 years.”

Despite all of Dublin’s class and depth Gallagher is adamant that Donegal can register a victory. “For sure they are beatable,” is Gallagher’s verdict. “Dublin would be very much aware of that as well. To beat them you have to do an awful lot of things right. You have to produce a level of intensity that is greater than theirs. You have to make sure when you get the chances that you put them away. That is the challenge for us.”