Of the many talking points surrounding the Ulster SFC semi-final between Derry and Monaghan, it is the role of the respective goalkeepers once again that will draw many in.
Rory Beggan once again underlined his prowess up the field with a clever inside pass that led to Stephen O'Hanlon’s goal in the victory over Tyrone last time out.
His renowned restarts were again the platform for the Farney’s comeback in the second half, but his opposite number Odhran Lynch has shown in the league - and against Fermanagh two weeks ago - an even greater desire than last year to get forward and impact play.
The sides meet in Healy Park on Saturday evening and two-time All-Ireland winner with Tyrone Enda McGinley looking forward to the battle of the number ones.
"Derry push Odhran Lynch so high up the pitch on kick-outs and they get good joy from that," he told the RTÉ GAA podcast.
"If you look across at the Division 2 teams they were coming up against, and the goalies they were coming up against, Rory Beggan is different. How do they handle that?
"Twice against Derry, Fermanagh had open goals to try and shoot at. They took it on once and made a bad job of it. Against Monaghan, are they going to take that risk?"
Derry’s provincial success last year saw the team beat Monaghan by four points in the semi-final.
Dick Clerkin’s goal in a 2008 qualifier is the only green flag Monaghan have raised against Derry in their last five championship outings, with Rory Gallagher’s robust defensive approach likely to be a tough nut for the Farney men to crack.
More over given what McGinley feels is the over-reliance on talisman Conor McManus up front, with Conor McCluskey and Chrissy McKaigue among the best man-markers in the game.
"Derry are good at identifying key men and shutting them down," he said.
"They play a defensive style of football that we all give out about, but there is something very attractive about the way they do it.
"They are so intense, so on-point every single game. The consistency of their performance is arguably better than any other team in the country in hitting that level. It’s almost boring. You know exactly what you are going to get from Derry.
"We sort of know what Derry are going to bring. If Monaghan bring what they brought in the second half against Monaghan, I think we are in for a fantastic game."
There is also the managerial factor.
McGinley has praised Vinny Corey for stepping in to the Monaghan hotseat when no-one seemed to want the job and getting a tune out of the team in adversity.
After a ropey start to the league and a below-par first-half performance against Tyrone, things have looked bleak on a number of occasions only for the men in blue and white to turn things around.
His Derry counterpart will be plotting another tilt at the Anglo Celt and McGinley says having watched a vocal and animated Gallagher patrol the sideline against Fermanagh, he is expecting something similar on Saturday.
In the quarter-final he was roaring his players on at the expense of their direct opponents when he felt they had the edge from a fitness point of view, and with some of Monaghan’s main men the most experienced in the group, McGinley is sure that Gallagher will continue this tactic.
"When you look at the likes of Darren Hughes and Conor McManus, I think Rory Gallagher will feel that Derry will have the legs on several of Monaghan’s key men and he will want to expose that."
Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts
Watch Kilkenny v Galway and Cork v Waterford in the Leinster and Munster Hurling Championships on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport and listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch highlights of the weekend's football and hurling championship action on The Sunday Game, 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
