By Michael McMullan

DERRY manager Paddy Tally says Conor McCluskey could be in line for inclusion for Saturday’s crunch All-Ireland clash with Dublin.

The All-Star defender has missed much of the season and the Derry boss told Gaelic Life McCluskey is back in full training.

“Clucky is going well, he is in full training, which is great,” Tally said.

On the flipside, a groin injury sustained after the Ulster defeat to Donegal will rule Martin Bradley out again.

The Ballinascreen defender had found his feet at inter-county level after a troublesome spell with injury.

Anton Tohill, Lachlan Murray and Niall Loughlin both returned in the Galway game, while Odhrán Lynch is back in the fold and was part of the 26 for the first time since tearing a quad as he took a kick-out against Mayo earlier in the season.

Tally expects an energised Dublin team this weekend and also said the Derry late equaliser against Galway saved their season despite it feeling like a loss after leading the Connacht Champions for most of the game.

Before a ball was kicked in the group stages, Tally felt their group was going to go all the way to the last game.

“Now it’s fallen that the game against us and Dublin will determine who goes through, whoever wins this match goes through into the preliminary quarter-finals,” Tally said ahead of Saturday’s trip to Páirc Esler.

“That’s probably what we always knew it was going to be. That’s the reality of the importance of the game, the season continues on ahead or the season’s over on Saturday.”

Speaking to the media after their 4-14 to 2-20 draw with Galway, Tally hinted out it felt like a defeat.

In reflection, there is a realisation of the value in Conor Doherty’s last gasp equaliser. It was the other side of the coin from the first league game.

At the same dressing room end goal in Celtic Park, Derry were hit by late goals as Kerry’s smash and grab left the Oakleafers shellshocked in defeat.

“That play saved our season as such,” Tally said of last weekend’s equaliser;

“If we had lost that game with that (Matthew Tierney) goal, this weekend probably would have been incidental really. It would have been very, very difficult to raise the team for a game.”

At that point, Derry’s season would’ve hinged on Galway’s game with Armagh. There would’ve been double disappointment of another defeat from the jaws of victory.

“I think Ben (McKinless) showed a lot of composure to take that kick out,” Tally said if Derry’s last play. “You have to give it to Diarmuid Baker too and Paudie McGrogan, he created the space for Diarmuid.

“Then Diarmuid had to work really hard to get the ball released, go ahead and support the attack again.

“A lot of credit goes to Diarmuid Baker and Ben McKinless for working that one out. Young Ruairí Forbes was instrumental too, even the fact that he kept the ball away from Conor Glass to get his back door cut and put it on the plate for him.

“It was a really well worked move and was under immense pressure, so a lot of credit to the players to do that.”

Tally pointed to the harsh lessons of earlier in the season. Derry found a way of crafting a key score and the Derry boss also pointed to the surprise of being seven points up on a “top team”.

With the two-point efforts and a new-look game, seeing out a game is a continual process of learning.

Tally is expecting a reaction from Dublin following their defeat to Armagh at Croke Park. Despite losing some of their key players, he points to Dessie Farrell being able to call on what Derry can’t – players with All-Ireland medals.

“There’s teams that are going to be there or thereabouts in every (All-Ireland) semi-final and Dublin are always one of them,” Tally said of Saturday’s opponents.

“You don’t for a moment think that Dublin aren’t going to make a semi-final of the All-Ireland. They’ve been consistently the best team in Ireland over this last 15 years and this Dublin team, at the moment, are evolving.

“They’ve got a few players that obviously they’ve stepped back from the team. They’ve brought in new players, but they have a very, very strong core of experienced footballers who have won multiple All-Irelands.

“With that winning experience at the top level under the belt, we are definitely the underdog going into the game.

“I think the scoreline (Dublin’s defeat to Armagh) wasn’t a true reflection of the game. If Dublin had been more efficient, they could have won that game quite comfortably with the chances they created.

“I think this Dublin team will be well up this match and have proved it before. They got beaten by Meath and then went to Salthill in the first qualifier game, they beat Galway in their own patch.

“I expect Dublin to come with all guns blazed on Saturday evening. I expect a very, very highly motivated, energised Dublin team.”

This week’s Gaelic Lives previews the final round of group games in the All-Ireland SFC with Michael Kennedy, a Tyrone man and part of Dublin’s All-Ireland winning management team under Pat Gilroy and Jim Gavin.