ANALYSIS: Derry need to look at their inability to adapt game-plan

There are many small idiosyncrasies that exist in the world of the GAA and one was evident in Croke Park yesterday where Dublin and Derry entered a national final with more of a focus on learning than winning.

Am I saying that winning is not important? Not at all! It is still a fundamental goal when playing sport and you should always prepare to win but with Championship on the horizon both Jim Gavin and Brain McIver would have taken a performance to build on.

Much is made of the amount of time inter-county teams train and prepare; countless hours go into field sessions, gym sessions, and tactical sessions.