Dowling's form rewarded as O'Neill names side for Sunday's league final

Fionn Dowling's fine form has been rewarded by his manager after Cian O'Neill opted to hand the Suncroft man a starting berth for Sunday's National League Division 2 final against Galway.

Dowling was man of the match against the Tribesmen last week as Kildare lost by a point in Salthill, and he will line out at centre-forward in a physically imposing half-forward line that also features Fergal Conway and Paul Cribbin. That means there will be plenty of options for Mark Donnellan at kickout time, with Kevin Feely and Tommy Moolick maintaining their midfield partnership.

Ollie Lyons has shaken off a calf injury to make the starting team, while Johnny Byrne is good to go following a slight back problem that meant he missed the game against Galway last week.

Ben McCormack came through that fixture after recovering from a hamstring injury, and he takes his place in the full-forward line alongside Niall Kelly and Chris Healy.

Daniel Flynn and Neill Flynn both miss out due to long term injuries.