Curran returns for injured Magee

Paul Curran returns to the Dublin team for Sunday's Leinster football final against Kildare at Croke Park

Paul Curran returns to the Dublin team for Sunday's Leinster football final against Kildare at Croke Park. The experienced defender, one of the few survivors from the All-Ireland success of seven years ago, comes into the left half back position as an indirect swap for the injured Jonathon Magee.

As expected, Magee's centre back position goes to Peader Andrews, who played at left half back in the semi-final win over Meath. Paul Casey is again named at right half back but is likely to switch with Curran, who is more familiar and more productive on the right.

Otherwise the team that outscored Meath 2-11 to 0-10 last month is unchanged. Magee's knee injury is likely to take another four to five weeks to heal and manager Tommy Lyons was in no way prepared to take a chance on his fitness.

Curran, however, had some injury problems of his own in the build-up to this game. He appeared briefly in the first round win over Wexford, replacing the injured Coman Goggins, but then suffered a knee injury of his own and was himself replaced shortly before the end.

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The knee injury continued to hamper his preparations for the Meath game. Only last night at training was Lyons fully satisfied with Curran's fitness.

Andrews, though, was also an injury concern having suffered a shoulder injury in the course of the Meath match. Now fully recovered, he is no stranger to the centre back position having played there against Meath in last year's Leinster final.

In the attack, there is a minor adjustment in the positioning with Senan Connell named at right wing forward and Colin Moran on the left. Opponents Kildare are due to name a team after training this evening.

Dublin (SF v Kildare): S Cluxton; B Cahill, P Christie, C Goggins; P Casey, P Andrews, P Curran; C Whelan, D Homan; S Connell, S Ryan, C Moran; A Brogan, R Cosgrove, J McNally.

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics