I came across the movie The Green Mile a few nights ago on late night zombie TV.

Adapted from a Stephen King novel back in 1999, Tom Hanks is the prison guard and he connects with a death row prisoner, Tom Coffey, superbly played by Michael Clarke Duncan.

Despite all his good qualities and healing powers, Coffey is sadly executed at the end of the movie.  The reality is that unless something major happens like a pardon or a break-out, those on death row will eventually run out of road and have to face the harsh fact that they are dead men walking.

Are the Galway footballers in that category?

They were beaten last Sunday and now face Donegal in a live TV game this Saturday at 5pm in Markievicz.

It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that they will beat Donegal, but then in the last eight they will face either Tyrone, Cork or Dublin. Based on what I have seen from them thus far in the championship, I cannot see them beating any of those three.

That said, with Matthew Clancy and Kieran Fitzgerald back in the starting line up for the Donegal game there appears to be a better balance to the side.

If Nicky Joyce can maintain his point taking average from last Sunday and score the goal chances that come his way, and Michael Meehan gets better ball and starts like he finished last Sunday and if Armstrong is kept closer to goal then we do have a very potent inside line.

However they need ball and lots of it.

They need to try and isolate those three players in one on ones and try and get Donegal to withdraw their half-back line.

John Joe Doherty and his team got a serious lesson off Michael Meehan in the league and they will be a lot shrewder this Saturday.

Karl Lacey was magnificent last weekend and cleaned out Paddy Bradley. It will be interesting to see if he is put marking Meehan or out picking up Padraig Joyce who he did very well on in last year’s league.

Up front Donegal will look to Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy to hit the scores. They shot a combined 1-8 from play against Derry and they must be stopped by a combination of Damien Burke, Finian Hanley and Kieran Fitzgerald and pressure out the field.

Donegal were putrid against Carlow and Clare before they found their form against Derry. That win last weekend added to the disciplining that Doherty has done during the league could be paying dividends now and they will be in a good place coming down the short few miles to Sligo.

Next Saturday evening is about the Galway players putting aside whatever problems have been bothering them this year and putting their shoulders to the wheel for the good of the team and Galway football.

Maybe it is only a matter of time until they are unceremoniously dumped out of the championship and indeed they may be indeed “Dead Men Walking”, but that should not stop them fighting tooth and nail everyday that they are still in it to keep their dream alive.