Dublin holding all the aces, suggests Canavan

New Cavan Gaels boss Peter Canavan

Peter Canavan believes Dublin are stronger than Donegal in a number of respects.

The teams are due to meet on Sunday in an eagerly-anticipated of the 2011 All-Ireland SFC semi-final and Tyrone legend Canavan points out that the Ulster champions have their work cut out to compete with the Sam Maguire holders:

"There have been massive strides made in this Dublin team over the last two years compared to Donegal," Canavan notes in The Irish News.

"There are a number of factors that have contributed to that. Firstly, the geograpahical factor. For a large part of the year, Donegal players are all over the place - Belfast, Dublin, Galway and even in Donegal itself, north and south.

"So it's not a simple journey to train together. That's a serious disadvantage and it's a problem Dublin don't have.

"The back-up structures in Dublin are streets ahead of any other county. So there is a smoother transition for players and a better crop of players coming through in Dublin compared to Donegal.

"The other advantage is Dublin's personnel. The strength of Jim McGuinness' panel is nowhere near as strong as Dublin's."