Dublin have the smarts to decode Derry game plan

It's been a strange league on the whole but it can't be denied that we have by far the two best teams in the final.

In Division 1 anyway, we've heard a lot of speculation about teams' motivations, about how their only interest was in survival and that they they didn't want to exert themselves too much beyond that, with the championship looming so close. Naturally, this is an outcome of the condensed inter-county calendar, about which we've probably heard plenty already.

Derry are one team who you couldn't accuse of pacing themselves and easing off during the league. They've made no bones that they're gunning for every clump of silverware they can get their hands on.

Brendan Rogers outlined their credo during the week: "Why would you bother entering a competition in the first place if you didn't want to win it?"

Sunday will be a fascinating test of how far they've come. They face off against the most elite level outfit in the sport, who've hit a frightening burst of form this spring.

You often hear players say in advance of games against Dublin in Croke Park that 'we're looking forward to the challenge' or 'we can't wait.'

Most of the time, that's bull***t.

So many teams go into games against Dublin with a system that doesn't work - and they know it too. In the case of most sides, the belief isn't there. Achieving respectability on the scoreboard is probably the goal for many.

That's where Derry might be different. They've huge belief in their system and its worth has been proven time and again. And they're adding extra components to it all the time.

We were deprived of the hotly anticipated Brian Fenton-Conor Glass match-up in Celtic Park after Derry decided to break the habit of recent years and give Glass a rest.

Midfield could