Galway have the belief and the ability

The devastation that Meath wrought on Kerry in the semi-final has ensured that they couldn't help but go into Sunday's final as favourites. But it was probably the worst result in many ways from their point of view.

For a start, I wonder if they can find the same depth of motivation that they had against Kerry, which was one of the key factors in their performance that day.

That game for them was a must-win in that they had never beaten Kerry in the championship under Seβn Boylan. All the Meath players were hugely motivated, and simply swept all before them that day.

So I think Galway manager John O'Mahony will be very happy with the way Meath have been set up for the final. That is part of the reason why I feel Galway will cause a surprise here. More significantly, though, the variety to Galway's game and the mental strength that they have developed this summer is set to stand to them.

Everybody talks about the resolve of Meath and the mental strength and bravery of all the players, but I believe Galway are equally entitled to claim that praise. They have resurrected their season after a very disappointing day against Roscommon in June, and the way they held out against Armagh and Cork when on both days they seemed to be staring defeat in the face has developed a great depth of self-belief.

Even against Derry things seemed to be going from them and they showed great resolve.

Overall it's that bit more variety that they have to their game compared to Meath that is likely to cause a shock on Sunday.

Of course Meath did play exceptionally well against Kerry. But the truth is that Kerry were so poor that Meath don't really know just how good they are. It would be a disservice not to give them full credit for that win and all season they have earned their victories over the likes of Westmeath and Dublin but Galway have a bigger armoury compared to the teams Meath have met up to now.

Having said that, Galway will have to break even at midfield, if not win it. They will also be looking for a better performance from Pβdraig Joyce from play compared to his last couple of games. And they'll have to get the same from Derek Savage as they got against Derry.

Most critical of all is their half-back line. They will need to neutralise the engine room of the Meath team, that is Trevor Giles and Evan Kelly, and also impose their own style on the game in getting forward to support their own front men. Whoever man-marks Ollie Murphy and Graham Geraghty will also have to deliver their best games.

But I know from working with John O'Mahony and watching him for the last number of years that he works as much on the mind as he does the actual skills of the game. He is very much into the mental training side of things, and his players will be totally switched on for this game, and just as strong as Meath mentally.

Of course no one has delivered more to any county that Seβn Boylan. To me he has been the most successful manager of the last quarter century, ahead of the likes of Mick O'Dwyer and Kevin Heffernan. He has taken teams from nothing and built them up not once but two or three times and got them to All-Irelands.

And he manages to get the absolute most out of journeymen footballers. This year alone he has reinvented the likes of Nigel Nestor and Donal Curtis, and that is the mark of a great manager. He has also got his team to believe in a game plan that suits their style, founded on simplicity, by aggressively going for the ball, using it quickly and getting it through to the danger men.

I remember talking to Boylan briefly just before the semi-final with Kerry, and what amazed me was how calm and relaxed he was. He'll adopt that same approach on Sunday and just remind the players where they come from and what they have to do to win.

The reserve players of either county will be crucial and I feel Galway win out there. They certainly have had more success with their substitutes than Meath have had and the likes of Matthew Clancy and Seβn ╙ D≤mhnaill are capable of doing well if they come in. Very often the last 10 or 15 minutes of an All-Ireland comes down to the quality of substitutions and that could be the difference for Galway.

Of course it's very difficult to predict the sort of game you will get in an All-Ireland final. Simple things like the weather or a ball or two hitting the post can play a hand and make the difference on the day, but I would go against the grain and say that Galway have the potential and ability to spring a shock.