Ryan Ferry looks at the battles that could decide Sunday’s semi-final

Michael Murphy v Sean Rafferty

The battle on the edge of the square could be enthralling on Sunday.

Michael Murphy didn’t have his best day against Monaghan two weeks ago.

However, he still scored two points from play and set up Michael Langan’s goal.

His influence remains huge and Meath will have their hands full trying to contain him.

The Royal county have a strong tradition of bringing through quality full-backs.

And their latest one Sean Rafferty is built from a similar mould as he is strong and combative.

He is a late bloomer having not played minor or under 20 football for Meath but has been talked up as a potential All-Star this year.

It was noteworthy that Galway got two goals in the quarter-final when he was off pitch receiving treatment.

Rafferty is aggressive and attacks the ball well but Michael Murphy will pose plenty of questions for him.

Brendan McCole v Jordan Morris

Brendan McCole remains Donegal’s go-to man marker and it would be a surprise if he doesn’t pick up Jordan Morris in Croke Park.

McCole has shown consistently over the last couple of years that he can mark any type of forward.

He’s comfortable on the bigger, strong forwards but can also handle the pacey, nippy attackers.

Morris falls into the latter bracket and he’s a quality operator who actually plays his club football for Kingscourt in Cavan.

Morris excelled during the league but then picked up a bad knee injury.

He came back in time to play in the Leinster Final against Louth and while that didn’t go to plan, he did impress during the group stages.

Morris followed up on that by scoring 1-6 against Galway and he was electric at times.

McCole will be keen to negate his influence this time out.

Jordan Morris.

Conor O’Donnell v Ronan Ryan

O’Donnell has been one of the big success stories for Donegal since the start of the All-Ireland Series.

The Carn man had a solid league but lost his way somewhat during the Ulster campaign and was dropped for the provincial final.

However, he has since managed to win his place back and has had some excellent performances against Cavan, Louth, and Monaghan.

O’Donnell was used in the half-forward line earlier in the season but now he is almost always one of the three players held in attack.

Croke Park suits his style of play as well as he is direct when he gets the ball in his hands and is keen to take players on.

Ronan Ryan has been strong in the full-back line for Galway and wasn’t long in getting stuck into Damien Comer when he entered the fray in the quarter-final.

Ryan is quick and mobile and has played a lot of his football in the half-back line.

O’Donnell will want to put his defensive credentials to the test in this match.

Michael Langan v Bryan Menton

All of Meath’s big wins this year have come on the back of midfield dominance.

Kerry got on top of Armagh’s kick-outs in the quarter-final but just two weeks before that, they came out second best in the middle sector against Meath.

The Royal county are not short on size and the returning Bryan Menton has made a huge impact.

It looked like Menton’s intercounty days were over when he wouldn’t commit for Colm O’Rourke but he has been rejuvenated this year.

He competes well in the air and isn’t afraid to take on a shot.

Donegal will be wary of that and they will want Michael Langan keeping a close eye on Menton’s right boot, especially when he is near the arc.

However, it’s going to other way where Langan will feel he can have joy.

The St Michael’s man has saved some of his best Donegal performances for Croke Park.

And if he can get on enough ball, he has the quality to really punish Meath.

Michael Langan.

Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher v Matthew Costello

Morris may have grabbed the headlines after the Galway game, but Costello is Meath’s best player.

He is tall and rangy and is a strong ball-carrier while he is a player who knows where the posts are.

After missing the Kerry game through injury, Costello started in the half-forward line against Galway.

He then moved into the full-forward line when Keith Curtis was replaced and he is dangerous when he is close to goal.

Donegal would ideally like to put McCole on Costello but he will likely be needed elsewhere.

Caolan McColgan is an option but it could be a job for Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher, who has been given big marking jobs by McGuinness before such as on Galway’s Shane Walsh in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.

After missing the Ulster campaign through injury, Gallagher has been steady since his return, and he should have the pace and athleticism to stick with Costello.

Shaun Patton v Billy Hogan

There is huge focus on goalkeepers in the current game and Shaun Patton and Billy Hogan will be aiming to provide a platform for victory for their respective sides.

Patton did have some difficulties in the first half of the quarter-final as Monaghan brought a good press and he found it tricky to get his restarts away.

He did enjoy a much better second half as the Farney county tired and was able to pick them off.

Meath will have seen what worked for Monaghan so Patton and his goalkeeping coach James Gallagher will be looking at ways to correct the issues.

Hogan is a highly-rated young goalkeeper who has established himself with the Meath team in the last two years.

He has a good kick-out and has plenty of options to hit with his restarts.

However, he is relatively inexperienced and Donegal will try to fluster the young goalkeeper.