Dublin face Derry in an intriguing Allianz Football League final this Sunday, in what most GAA fans will see as a showdown between the two best footballing sides in the country.
The All-Ireland champions face Mickey Harte's Derry at Croke Park in what will be a second test of where both teams stand in 2024 going into the championship summer.
Derry finished top of Division One, their first year in the top tier since 2015, as they continue their steady rise to the top of Gaelic football. Enticingly, however, their sole defeat of the round-robin phase came earlier this month at Celtic Park against none other than Dublin.
After a sluggish start which saw them slump to consecutive defeats to Monaghan and Mayo, Dessie Farrell's Dublin have looked rejuvenated in recent weeks, romping to impressive victories against Kerry and Galway to go alongside their win on the road against Derry.
In a repeat of last year's Division Two final, Derry will have their chance to get their own back against the Dubs. Donegal legend Michael Murphy is one who believes that it will be Derry's year come the final weekend in July.
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Michael Murphy explains Derry tip for All-Ireland glory
Many will see Sunday's Division One final as a real test of Derry's All-Ireland credentials, as they come up against the formidable force of last year's champions Dublin.
2 March 2024; Ciaran McFaul of Derry and Eoin Murchan of Dublin tussle during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Derry and Dublin at Celtic Park in Derry. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
2012 All-Ireland-winning captain Michael Murphy was a guest on Tuesday's Second Captains podcast (accessible through a subscription here), and he was asked for his take on the two frontrunners going into the summer of championship action.
Though both Murphy and Dublin legend Paul Flynn sang the praises of Dessie Farrell's Dubs, the Donegal man felt that the journey Derry have been on to get to this point may give them the edge in the race for the All-Ireland:
Dublin are ominous...but if somebody was to say to me, right now, potentially [an] All-Ireland [prediction]? I would be...I know it's a sticky one but I would be going towards Derry.
I think [they have] all the pieces.
I keep going back to that Kerry game last year. As a team, knowing them Derry players, in the back of their heads they're thinking to themselves now, 'we belong in this top echelon.'
They've been at Division One and they've performed there, they've excelled there. They're at the top of the tree, I think they belong there.
I just think the next natural step for them is towards that All-Ireland series.
What we're doing is comparing them against Kerry, comparing them against Galway, comparing them against Mayo. To me, they tick more boxes than those teams do at the moment.
Do Dublin tick those same boxes as Derry? 100% they do. But I just think there's a mission there for this Derry team.
Having come all the way from Division Four since 2019, it has been a steady rise for Derry. Murphy pointed to the brilliance of their midfield and forward line, as well as the addition of (limited) depth to the squad ahead of 2024 as factors that would go in their favour.
It is hard to look past Dublin after their statement performances in recent weeks but, if any county is to stop them in 2024, it will likely be Mickey Harte's Derry.
Sunday's Allianz League final (throw-in 4pm) will be the perfect test of whether they are ready to take the step up to being proper All-Ireland contenders.
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