Derry have been one of the standout teams of the Gaelic football summer this year, and have made a second successive All-Ireland semi-final.
A dramatic Ulster final win over Armagh on penalties kicked off what has been a steady if not spectacular summer for Derry, who progressed from their round robin group with relative ease.
In the All-Ireland quarter-final, however, they were not firing on all cylinders. Cork stuck with Derry for much of the game and many of their biggest names - including corner forward Shane McGuigan - struggled to make much of an impact.
The Ulster champions have a major test ahead of them on Sunday afternoon against defending champions Kerry, and it is unlikely they will be able to survive a repeat of a performance akin to theirs against Cork.
In his weekly column for RTÉ, 2016 footballer of the year Lee Keegan said that Derry would need to make changes to their attacking game if they were to come out on top against the Kingdom on Sunday afternoon.
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Lee Keegan questions Derry ahead of All-Ireland semi-final
After the Ulster championship, Derry's stock as All-Ireland contenders was high.
Fermanagh, Monaghan, and Armagh were all dispatched in a victorious Ulster campaign, before Derry made light work of a group including Donegal, Monaghan, and Clare in the All-Ireland round robin.
Perceptions of Derry have changed somewhat, however, after their performance against Cork in the quarter-finals.
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2 July 2023; Conor Glass of Derry competes with Cork players, from left, Colm O'Callaghan, Sean Powter, Brian O'Driscoll, Ruairi Deane and Ian Maguire for a dropping ball during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final match between Derry and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Cork threatened to upset the apple cart in that last eight meeting and, though Derry ultimately survived the scare, they came through their quarter-final test in far less convincing fashion than their opponents on Sunday, Kerry.
Lee Keegan, writing in his weekly column for RTÉ, said that a repeat of their performance against Cork will not be enough for Derry against the Kingdom at Croke Park.
He said that, though their attacking game has developed since their defeat to Galway at this stage last year, there were still issues with their decision-making, and that Kerry would have no issue picking them off if they floundered once again at Croker:
In the year since, their game has developed, especially their sophistication in attack. They attack and defend as a unit and players aren't as inclined to get isolated up front.
Their runners from deep have been a consistent menace - see Conor McCluskey driving forward continually against Donegal - and the ball carrier invariably has a support runner off the shoulder.
However, I still feel they don't take enough risks in possession. The teams that are coming to the fore are those inclined to kick more early ball into the forwards, eschewing the lateral, ponderous hand-passing game that predominated for too long during the summer.
In contrast to last year, they enter this year's semi after a poor quarter-final display. The Cork match was a snore and John Cleary's side had their opportunities - opportunities that Kerry will not pass up.
After last year's disappointment against Galway, Derry will hope that they can give Kerry a closer run for their money this year. Throw-in at Croke Park is at 4pm on Sunday.
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