Expect Dublin to trap smartly and make league champions work

4pm Sunday

Dublin led at half-time in four of their six league outings this spring and they will need to trap smartly at O'Connor Park to have any chance of derailing the Galway train which was unstoppable in the latter stages of the league.

While the current Dublin side looks very different to the one Anthony Daly had three years ago, it is worth pointing out that the Dubs have beaten Galway in five of their seven championship clashes and it was a draw when they met in 2015.

Gone are Shane Durkin, Peter Kelly, Paul Ryan, Johnny McCaffrey, Niall Corcoran, Mark Schutte and Danny Suthcliff, meaning only Liam Rushe, David Treacy, Ryan O'Dwyer, Eamonn Dillon and David O'Callaghan remain from that team.

Dublin may have been relegated from Division 1A of the league but they thumped Cork in Pairc Ui Rinn in round two and showed glimpses of promise in other outings. They do not possess a strong panel so their second-half performances suffered when tired legs came into play.

It could be a similar story today. Dublin could explode from the traps and build up a healthy advantage but it is hard to see them sustaining such a pace for the 70 minutes. For that reason, backing the Dubs to lead at half-time and Galway to win the match appeals at 11-2.

That is not the best bet on the match coupon, however. It seems that the layers have been sucked into thinking that this will be another high-scoring shootout, similar to what we saw at Semple Stadium last Sunday, but Dublin manager Ger Cunningham is far too shrewd for that to happen.

Dublin have tenacious defenders who mark tightly. They will pack their defence and make sure Canning and co do not get the space they crave.

You can back under 46.5 total points at a shade of odds-on with BoyleSports and that looks terrific value. Indeed, it could be worth taking some of the 3-1 with bet365 about 40 points or fewer being scored. This could be a game where 20 points is enough to get over the line.

The Tribesmen, who have not won Leinster since 2012, start their summer high on confidence after winning the Division 1 league title following a 3-21 to 0-14 victory over All-Ireland champions Tipperary. New York-based attacker Johnny Glynn has ruled out the possibility of returning home for this clash but otherwise Micheal Donoghue has a full pack to choose from so on paper this looks a straightforward assignment for the hot favourites.

Don't expect it to work out that way, though. There were glimpses of promise from Dublin in the league despite their relegation.

Galway's class should shine through in the closing stages but it would come as no surprise to see a ravenous Dublin side take a lead into the break and make their more esteemed rivals pull out all to stops.

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