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Dara O'Cinneide explains why Donegal "would be mad to go totally defensive" against Dublin

Two of this year's All-Ireland semi-finalists have carved their names into the last-four and...



Dara O'Cinneide explains w...
Football

Dara O'Cinneide explains why Donegal "would be mad to go totally defensive" against Dublin

Two of this year's All-Ireland semi-finalists have carved their names into the last-four and two more join them this weekend.

After a weekend which saw Tipperary and Kerry advance and with the clashes of Mayo v Tyrone and Dublin v Donegal to come this weekend, ex-Tyrone All-Ireland winner Enda McGinley and former Kerry great Dara O'Cinneide joined Off The Ball to discuss.

Starting with Tipp, the historic result for their footballers as they defeated Galway in the quarter-finals caught the eye for O'Cinneide and he doesn't expect them to be fazed in the semi-final. 

"They're going to grow out of this. There won't be a physical conditioning issue, there won't be any inferiority complex - I don't think there ever was with the Tipperary footballers. They have been winning and beating Kerry teams and other teams at underage so maybe it was just a matter of time," he said.

Kerry's James O'Donoghue ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

McGinley is also optimistic about Kerry's momentum as they reach the semi-finals after defeating Clare at the weekend with Dublin or Donegal awaiting them on August 28th.

"They will still know that the acid test remains ahead but by all accounts and by all reports, they are training with that very much in mind," he said, while underlining their traditional pedigree at this point in the season in recent years.

As for Donegal, who face Dublin on Saturday in the quarter-finals, O'Cinneide believes they would be making an error to sit back and try and soak up pressure from the All-Ireland champions.

"I think they'd be mad to go totally defensive. I think they would be mad to invite Dublin onto them because Dublin have learned since the last time they played Donegal in the championship, how to deal with that kind of a game. They have the patience to play around that," he said, adding that Donegal need to play to their own strengths in attack and test any weaknesses that might exist in the Dublin defence.

O'Cinneide and McGinley also looked ahead to Tyrone and Mayo. 

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