Ian O'Riordan talks to Kerry's Paul Galvin, who since returning from suspension has made a big impact in a new-look half-forward line

Whether they planned it or not, Kerry are approaching Sunday's Allianz National Football League final with signs of an early-season peak. Among those showing their finest form is Paul Galvin, who was in danger of missing Kerry's entire league campaign through suspension but is now starring again in their newly designed half-forward line.

Galvin was facing a six-month suspension after an altercation in a North Kerry club match, before an appeal reduced that to three months. His return in recent weeks was perfectly timed as he helped Kerry into the semi-finals after drawing with Dublin, and then into Sunday's final against Galway thanks to their eight-point win over Laois.

"I'd just put that suspension behind me," says Galvin, "and I'm looking forward now to the league final. I'd been training away on my own anyway. I know there were rumours of me joining Cork City but that was nothing. I just knew some of the lads and did a bit of training with them, but nothing more than that."

Since his return Galvin has found himself sharing the half-forward line with his Finuge clubmate Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Kerry's latest young football prodigy, Bryan Sheehan - with Fitzmaurice's repositioning from centre back so far working well.

"Eamonn moving up has definitely given a new dimension to the team. He's brought a lot to the forward line, in that he's very powerful and physical but a very good kicker of the ball as well. I think he's allowed us to attack a little more, instead of going down the field having to tackle.

"And Bryan is just a very talented guy, a fantastic kicker from the ground and the hand. He's a big guy for 21 and well built. Jack O'Connor has high hopes for him and we all have but he has a bit to go yet. There are a few things in his game that he needs to work on."

Sheehan scored 0-5 against Laois, including three frees, which meant he equalled the 1-2 hit by Colm Cooper. That suggested Kerry are finally addressing the one obvious weakness in the team - their overreliance on Cooper.

"I don't see why having a player like the Gooch can be a weakness," says Galvin. "Gooch is just brilliant, and for me it's just a pleasure to be playing with him. You give him the ball and he'll score, so I don't see how that can be a weakness. The guy is just a genius.

"I suppose if anything does happen to the Gooch we'll be scratching our heads a bit, and I know the point is being made about our scoring. But I think there has been a bit of a spread in the last couple of games."

Galvin knows Kerry will need Cooper and everyone else on form if they are to beat Galway, one of the most capable scoring teams in the country. Kerry handled them in the final two years ago but another open, high-scoring game beckons.

"Yeah, they are similar enough to ourselves, very skilful forwards. I think Galway are up there with the best teams in the country again, especially with Michael Donnellan back. They proved that against Mayo on Sunday.

"But we'd love to win this title again. And I don't see how the league can be derided by anybody. If you don't take the league seriously you can forget about doing anything in the summer. We felt it was very important to get to the knockout stages, because even that one extra game can mean a lot to your performance in the championship.

"Some league games are more or less at championship pace anyway. Our game against Dublin a couple of weeks ago was seriously intense. The Tyrone game was the same."

The mere mention of Tyrone changes the course of the conversation from this Sunday to the more heated championship encounters well down the road.

Kerry are still training only one night a week, aware that the time to hit their true peak is next September, or whenever they meet their old rivals again.

"That's the challenge for us. We need to produce against them, that's just the way it is, and we know that. We've quite a physical team now, but we had to change that. We had to bring ourselves on physically over the last few years.

"But I mean I really rate Tyrone, I think they're a fantastic team. They're top dogs at the minute and that's where we want to be. They're just a hard team, with a hard edge. They're just a seriously steel team. That's possibly something to do with their upbringing in the North, like it's given them this mental hardness that you mightn't have down south. But other than that I don't think there's anything between the teams.

"Of course they have a very good system of play as well. But they've had that for years. And they'll be beaten some day. We have our system in place, and that's the challenge for us. And the atmosphere is great within our team. We talk a lot about going the step further, where we've gone wrong and that.

"We've our own style, and we can be as tough as you'll meet anyway. Our first 15 are as strong as you'll get, and after that it's a bit of luck on the day."