Peter Canavan column: All-Ireland quarter-finals talking points, penalties debate, and can Dublin cope without Con O'Callaghan?

Shane Walsh of Galway in action against James Morgan of Armagh

Galway vs Armagh was the standout game of the weekend.

It was full of momentum swings throughout. The Orchard County started the stronger. But the Tribesmen got to grips with Ethan Rafferty's kick-outs in the second-half. Had the Connacht champions converted their goal chances, they would have been further ahead.

They played the better football, but it was Armagh's never-say-die attitude that kept them in the contest.

For me, the decision to show Greg McCabe a straight red card was harsh.

He went in with a shoulder charge. Slow-motion replays do him no favours. But it was an accidental clash of heads which caused the injury to Matthew Tierney.

It wasn't a shoulder to the head. I was disappointed to see the red card, because we want to see the shoulder charge remain in the game. It was a harsh sending-off.

But even with a six-point deficit and a man down, Armagh were still competing. And they had an energy about them. Yes, there were mistakes made by both sets of players. But you had to applaud the honesty and endeavour.

Unfortunately, instead of people talking about the Rian O'Neill point or the brilliance of Cillian McDaid, the game is going to be remembered for the wrong reasons. The melee marred what was a brilliant contest between two sides in great physical shape. The tempo never relented from start to finish.

But it has left a bad taste in the mouth, and the CCCC has an unenviable task of trying to impose sanctions on players.

Matthew Tierney scores the winning penalty

Are penalties suitable?

I have no qualms with penalties deciding club games, or intercounty matches in provincial championships and qualifiers.

We are competing in a condensed season and I get that.

But from the All-Ireland quarter-final stage onwards, I think teams would be happy to play a replay, even if it meant having to compete three weeks in a row.

You are not altering the calendar in such an instance. You are just adding an extra fixture.

It's a much better way of determining big games than penalties.

I know some have argued that the tie-breaker should be free kicks or 45s. But it's not like penalties are not part of Gaelic football. Some people are suggesting that we're only doing it because it's a soccer thing.

Whether we like it or not, it is part of our game. And I can see why penalties are used.

Galway must improve

There are areas that will concern Pádraic Joyce. They are weak under high balls in the square, and Armagh scored goals through that avenue.

But the Tribesmen managed to win the game without Damien Comer and Shane Walsh being at their best, which is a positive. That will galvanise them.

They were a deflated team going off the pitch at full-time.

To surrender such a lead, fall behind in extra-time and still manage to get over the line will give them huge belief.

But they will need to step up in order to beat a very competent Derry team.

Galway are through to the last four for the first time since 2018

Oak Leaf County deliver in Croker

Derry's attitude and the way they went about their business against Clare was very impressive.

There were two areas in particular they worked on - mobility around the middle sector, and an all-out attacking strategy.

Every time Conor Glass got the ball, he wanted to go forward. So too Conor McCluskey and Brendan Rogers.

They committed numbers forward.

Yes, we know about their defensive strategy. But when they got their scores, it wasn't a case of counter-attacking football, with two or three players up front. There were so many times that I counted eight, nine or 10 Derry players inside the Clare 45 when they were getting shots away.

Tactically it was a superb performance from Rory Gallagher and his team. There were weaknesses in Clare, and they went after them.

Yes, you can question the strength of the Banner's performance, but you have to commend the way Derry went about it. They weren't fazed going in as favourites, nor by Croke Park.

They know there are stiffer tests ahead. Derry vs Galway promises to be a brilliant clash.

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Highlights of Derry's dominant win over Clare

Kerry finally get tested

Mayo's shooting let them down. But they certainly tested Kerry.

Mayo brought a physicality to the game that will really benefit the Kingdom. The Munster champions needed this game. There's much more in them.

Kerry can get scores from so many players. They have match-winners in the full-forward line. Their midfielders are surging forward. David Moran can kick points. And the likes of Gavin White and Tom O'Sullivan are real scoring threats from deep. They can hurt you from anywhere on the pitch.

They needed that competitive game, although they didn't set the world alight. There's more in them, and we will see more from them in the semi-final.

As for Mayo, they badly missed Tommy Conroy and Ryan O'Donoghue. They needed to convert every chance they got and that didn't happen.

It was a comfortable victory for the Kingdom

Will the Dubs struggle without Con?

We saw on Saturday night that Dublin will struggle without Con O'Callaghan on the edge of the square.

Not only is he a threat himself, but he brings the likes of Ciarán Kilkenny, Cormac Costello and Dean Rock into play.

They benefit enormously from his ball-winning, direct running and causing havoc. I would be concerned for Dublin if he's not on the field against Kerry. With him back, they're a different animal.

The defensive aspect of their game was excellent. And you always felt there was more in them. But I was disappointed they didn't put Cork away sooner. They didn't create any goal-scoring opportunities. And that will be something that will concern Dessie Farrell.

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Dublin had too much for Cork

Eoghan O'Donnell was also brought on for his debut. It was hard to take much from the performance of the county's hurling captain. But it's obvious that Dessie wanted to give him game-time.

O'Donnell wasn't brought into the panel for the sake of it. The fact that he was introduced against the Rebels would indicate that the Dubs intend to use him more in the coming weeks.

Another big plus is the performance of Lee Gannon. Similar to Tom O'Sullivan, he can bomb forward and kick points. Right and left. That's a real positive that Dublin can take.

Four teams remain in the hunt for Sam. It's well set up. And two fascinating semi-finals await.

Our live GAA coverage continues with the All-Ireland SHC semi-finals this weekend. Watch Kilkenny vs Clare from 5pm Saturday and Limerick vs Galway from 3pm Sunday, live on Sky Sports Arena.