Throw-in
Croke Park, Sunday 10 June, 4pm
Online
Live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News Now App from 3.30pm
Radio
Live updates Sunday Sport, RTÉ Radio 1, from Brian Carthy.
TV
Live coverage on The Sunday Game Live on RTÉ2 from 1.30, with commentary from Darragh Maloney and Dessie Dolan and analysis from Ciarán Whelan and Colm O'Rourke. Highlights of the game, along with all the weekend's action, on The Sunday Game, RTÉ 2, from 9.30pm.
Past 5 Championship Meetings
2015 Dublin 4-25 Longford 0-10 (Leinster quarter-final)
2006 Dublin 1-12 Longford 0-13 (Leinster quarter-final)
2005 Dublin 2-23 Longford 0-10 (Leinster 1st round)
2004 Dublin 1-17 Longford 0-11 (All-Ireland qualifier – Round 3)
2001 Dublin 2-19 Longford 1-13 (Leinster quarter-final)
Form Guide
The Dubs won a fifth Allianz League football in six years on Easter Sunday. Eight weeks later, they easily accounted for Wicklow in their opening championship game.
A last-gasp defeat to Fermanagh put pay to Longford's quest for promotion to Division 2. That said, they dusted themselves down and were worthy winners over Meath in claiming this last-four spot.
The semi-finalists meet for the 19th time in the championship, with Dublin having won 15 and Longford two, while there was one draw in those previous encounters.
Longford’s only championship wins over the Dubs came in 1968 (1-12 to 0-12) the year of their last Leinster success and 1970 (2-14 to 3-8). Both were provincial quarter-finals.
The midlanders have not scored a goal in any of their last four championship meetings with Dublin.
Jim Gavin's men are bidding to reach the Leinster final for the 13th time in 14 seasons, having missed out in 2010 only.
Longford are bidding to reach the decider for the first time since that glory day 50 years ago.
Dublin’s last defeat in the Leinster semi-final was in 2010 when they lost to Meath..
Player Watch
Dean Rock (Dublin)
Like father, like son in their kicking style, Dean, just like Barney is so adept at nailing placed balls from all distances. He has been a regular on the Dublin team since the league of 2015 and has three All-Ireland medals to his name. In 32 matches, his core tally stands at 7-134.
The Ballymun is clearly at the peak of his powers and looks certain to punish opposition for a few more years yet.
Michael Quinn (Longford)
After a relatively successful career in the AFL with Essendon, the Killoe native returned to these shores and is now the mainstay of the Longford cause. Inddeed, he told RTÉ Sport that playing for his county was a "privilege" in the aftermath of the side's won over Monaghan in the qualifiers two years ago.
On the task of facing the Dulbin at GAA HQ for the second team in four seasons, the defender told the Longford Leader: "
"The last time we played there we were a bit naive. We weren't as prepared as this year in a sense.
"One of things about playing for the likes of Longford is that you want to play against the best, to be the best you can possibly be.
"If you are down and playing at a certain level all the time it's very hard to excel. It's an opportunity for you to build and progress against the stronger sides."
Manager Watch
Jim Gavin (Dublin)
Most of the time he is unflappable, amid a steely determination to keep his side at the top of the pile. The only time he was ever 'annoyed' was after the drawn All-Ireland final against Mayo in 2016.
"Jim Gavin is like a professor of Gaelic football, he is very particular about his own team’s analysis as well as opposition analysis, he’s forensic about everything, said Ray Boyne worked with the Dublin footballers as a performance analyst for 13 years
Boyne has also been involved with several club teams and has a professional career in the banking world but he has yet to meet a person as detail orientated as the current Dublin footballer manager.
Boyne is no longer involved in the set-up, he has switched codes and now does performance analysis with Pat Gilroy and the Dublin hurlers but to date he has been behind the scenes for all of Gavin’s All-Ireland senior title wins.
"With Jim, from an analysis point of view it’s the more the better, he forensically analyses everything including training games and sessions," Boyne told RTÉ Sport.
"All the information is shared with the players, one of the great things I witnessed in that Dublin team is the way it has become almost self-managing.
"The real leaders have stepped up, they have lost one in Denis Bastick but the likes of Jonny Cooper and Ciaran Kilkenny have stepped up."
Denis Connerton (Longford)
Connerton was at the helm in the early 2000s and returned in 2016 where he oversaw the scalp that was Monaghan through the back door.
The win over Meath was Connerton's first win as a manager in Leinster. On that success, he told RTÉ Sport:
"But for us to clinch the deal today was brilliant for us. It's my first win in the Leinster championship but it is the first match I got at home.
"Personally, I'm elated. But I'm delighted for that team as well that they were able to do what we haven't been able to do for thirty years and that's reach a Leinster semi-final.
"We'll think about this moment and enjoy the moment and we can start planning tomorrow. But we'll enjoy the moment because we don't get these moments too often."
Weather
Many areas will be dry on Sunday, with sunny intervals, but scattered showers will develop, most of them in the east and south. Some of the showers will be heavy and possibly thundery. Max. 17 to 22 Celsius, warmest in Leinster and Munster, with light north to northeast breezes. For more go to met.ie
