by John Fallon

Galway have not beaten Dublin in the championship since 1934 but boss Kevin Walsh is hopeful that the current crop are real trail-blazers.

Their summer journey has seen them defeat Kerry in the championship for the first time in 53 years and Walsh, himself a double All-Ireland senior winner, reckons they might still have something left in the tank.

But at the same he is under no illusion as they step forward and become the latest to try end Dublin's dominance of the championship.

A draw in the league at Pearse Stadium was followed by their only defeat of the campaign when they went down to the Dubs in the final after a good battle.

That was Galway's first defeat of 2018 - they won the Connacht FBD League as well in January - and their only other loss was to Monaghan last weekend when they had already qualified for the last four.

Walsh's experience as an All-Ireland winner in 1998 and 2001 is help to the current crop, but he prefers to dwell on what his charges can achieve rather than what he did in the past.

So, on one hand he wants to them to treat tomorrow's showdown with the champions as another game but at the same time realises they need to be prepped for the magnitude of the occasion.

"In a way it's another game but it's not either. There will be something like 60,000 so that's a different atmosphere and it's important for some of us who have experience that it is passed on but it's also this group going on and try make their own history.

"That's what has been happening in the last few years, we keep taking step forwards and now we have got to the last four for the first time since 2001.

"It's great for these guys, it's a massive experience for them but there is no doubt Dublin are the one team who we have taken on twice this year in any meaningful game and failed to beat them twice. But that's the challenge.

"They are also the only team in the meaningful games who have beaten us, so the challenge is obvious," he said.

Tomorrow's clash will be the tenth championship meeting between the counties and Dublin hold the advantage with nine victories to Galway's two.

Dublin edged out Galway in the 1922 final before Galway won the 1933 semi-final by 0-8 to 1-4 and then won the 1934 decider by 3-5 to 1-9.

But since then it has been all Dublin wins. They won the 1942, '63, '74 and '83 - the infamous clash when Dublin finished with 12 men and Galway with 14 - along with the semi-final victories in '58 and '76.

Eight of the nine ties between them have been decided by a goal or less - the '74 final which Dublin won by 0-14 to 1-6 was the exception - while neither team has managed to get past a total of 14 points in a game against each other.

Dublin v Galway SFC record

- 1922 All-Ireland SFC final
Dublin 0-6 Galway 0-4, Croke Park

- 1933 All-Ireland SFC semi-final
Galway 0-8 Dublin 1-4, Cusack Park, Mullingar

- 1934 All-Ireland SFC final
Galway 3-5 Dublin 1-9, Croke Park

- 1942 All-Ireland SFC final
Dublin 1-10 Galway 1-8, Croke Park

- 1958 All-Ireland SFC semi-final
Dublin 2-7 Galway 1-9, Croke Park

- 1963 All-Ireland SFC final
Dublin 1-9 Galway 0-10, Croke Park

- 1974 All-Ireland SFC final
Dublin 0-14 Galway 1-6, Croke Park

- 1976 All-Ireland SFC semi-final
Dublin 1-8 Galway 0-8, Croke Park

- 1983 All-Ireland SFC final
Dublin 1-10 Galway 1-8, Croke Park

Tweet

Most Read Stories