In The Frame: Jarlath Fallon and Glen Ryan

Jarlath Fallon - Club: Tuam Stars.

Age: 25.

Occupation: Postman.

Height: 6' 1".

Weight: 13st.

Honours: Connacht SFC 1995, `98; Connacht MFC 1990; Connacht U21 1992, `93; Connacht club SFC 1994.

Best performance: "It would have to be Derry, although the Mayo win was satisfying too. But beating Derry got us into an All-Ireland final. When we went out to play we were 70 minutes away from an All-Ireland title. The new rules helped us that day because we got a few early scores from frees that settled us. People didn't give us a chance, but we were fairly confident. I'm happy at centre forward. In '95, Kevin Walsh was struggling with injury and wasn't able to cover the ground and I was used as a third midfielder. This year there's no need for me out there because Kevin is fit and big Sean O Domhnaill is good under the high balls."

Most disappointing performance: "Probably Leitrim. I felt sorry for them because they're a young team and it's not nice to get beaten off the pitch. Saying that, it didn't do anything for us, it only blew us up and we nearly fell to Roscommon." What has made the difference for Galway this year? "Maybe a bit of luck. There's a lot of young lads came in this year, we've five or six under-21s involved and they're extremely talented lads. They have no fears. It definitely has an effect. Mayo's success rang a bell not just in Galway, in all counties. I've never seen such a level championship. Any county team can win an All-Ireland now if they're organised and have quality in the right positions."

Opposing views - Clifford McDonald (Roscommon centre forward): "Equally strong as a fielder, passer and striker, he has his own little shimmy that's unique and can take him away from you on either foot.

Drifts wide and comes in from an angle which can pull you out of position and expose the middle."

Seamas Quinn (Leitrim half forward): "His scoring power and ability to run at players with speed is his main strength, but in our game he played on the wing, while I think he's better suited for the centre. He didn't have a particularly good game on that occasion either, but did knock me out of position and his strength on the ball and ability to play with either foot will always cause problems."

Glen Ryan - Club: Round Towers.

Age: 27. Occupation: Teacher.

Height: 5' 9".

Weight: 12st.

Honours: Leinster SFC 1998; Leinster U21 1992; Leinster MFC 1991; All Star 1997.

Best Performance: "Well, I suppose it's hard to choose between the Leinster final and the All-Ireland semi-final. In both those games we showed our worth when questions were asked and the team really began to click together. But this has been a long time coming. I don't know that I could pick out a personal best performance. I don't really feel that matters, it's all about the team. It has been a hard slog getting this far and I believe that Galway are going to be the toughest team we face this summer. They never really got the credit they deserved for the manner in which they defeated Derry. We met them in a few challenge games earlier in the year and they hammered us on both occasions, so we know all about their ability." Most disappointing performance: "Losing the three game series against Meath last summer stands out, but in the long term we gained invaluable experience. But we have had a number of disappointments. Under Dermot Earley, we were a bit unlucky in that we lost matches by two or three points after kicking a lot of wides."

What has made the difference for Kildare this year? "The experience we gained over the three games with Meath last year. Losing in the end was naturally very disappointing, but in the long term in proved to be of tremendous benefit to everyone involved. We knew coming in this year that we could build on last summer. With Dermot Earley maturing incredibly quickly as a player and with Karl (O'Dwyer) and Brian (Lacey) giving us added shape, we just have a bit more edge than before."

Opposing views - Jim Gavin (Dublin centre forward): "His consistency makes him crucial to the game on Sunday. Very cunning and has a first-rate ability to read the game. Mans the central position very well. Also makes decisive runs and is energetic enough to be creating and getting scores also. Fallon may expose him if he gets isolated with him. Not the most vocal on the field, but has great respect from the team. His resolve can help Kildare to come out as champions."

Sean Boylan (Meath manager): "A true inspiration and a great leader. Good positional sense at all times and makes his difficult job look easy. A vital man with plenty of experience. One of the main strengths of this Kildare team."

Additional reporting by Ian O'Riordan