National Football League Kildare v Laois: Ian O'Riordantalks to Kildare's John Doyle ahead of Sunday's final round of the league clash with rivals Laois

Sunday's final round of the Allianz National Football League will, despite most predictions, focus on Division One B, supposedly the less competitive section of the division.

While Donegal and Mayo are already through to the semi-finals from Division One A, the question of who will join them will be partly answered by the meeting of Kildare and Laois.

Such games are inevitably intense given the rivalry between the teams, but with the substantial bonus prize on offer it should provide a fitting climax to what has been a gripping divisional contest. Kildare top the table with nine points and a win would see them through, although so would a win for Laois - joint second on eight points.

Defeat for either team would leave them dependent on the Galway-Down game, which Galway will be fancied to win and therefore progress.

There are other permutations (Derry can't be ruled out either) and the bottom line is both Kildare and Laois will be thinking of nothing but victory. Weekend wins over Westmeath and Armagh respectively set up the last roll of the dice for both counties, and they intend making the most of it.

John Doyle has been typically instrumental in getting Kildare this far, his free-taking still one of the country's models of consistency, and his late free against Westmeath on Sunday was probably the most valuable so far this year.

"We were lucky enough to come away with the win," says Doyle. "The way the game was going we would have been happy enough with the draw. We went in at half-time two points up, playing against a stiff breeze, but lost our way a bit in the second half. So we sucked up a lot of pressure from Westmeath, and were fortunate to get the free in the end.

"The goal at the start of the year was staying in Division One, and by winning on Sunday we've achieved that. But there's no doubt the last couple of years haven't gone as well for Kildare as we'd have liked. It's 2003 since we've been in a Leinster final. That's been disappointing.

"So the prospect of a league semi-final and final is within our grasp now, and hopefully if results go our way we'll be in that position. And that kind of experience is important for the younger lads. That would all fit in nicely coming up to the championship campaign. There's sure to be that extra bit of competitiveness on Sunday as well. There are people down around Athy and that who don't care if we never win a match as long as we beat Laois."

Given the talk of Division One A being more competitive it's a little unusual that Dublin, Kerry and Tyrone have all missed out on semi-finals at this stage, while at least four teams remain in contention in Division One B. It's also notable that the Ulster teams like Derry, Armagh and Down are all off the pace of Kildare and Laois.

"I think our division has a lot of closely matched teams as well," says Doyle, "and all our games have been tough. Last year we found ourselves coming out on the wrong side of close games.

"This year it seems to be the opposite. We've been able to scrape through, without playing brilliantly, and had the bit of luck as well. But as a team we've always felt we could compete with the best of them, as we've been doing the last couple of years, without getting the result."

Doyle admits, however, that Kildare's ultimate aim is to impact on the Leinster championship, which they have failed to do in recent years:

"The results speak for themselves, and apart from Dublin it's teams outside of Leinster that have been the most successful. That's the fact. We'd like to think we've been a little unlucky, and Laois as well.

"But we always feel within Leinster we can compete with anyone. Dublin have been the kingpins for the past two years, and will be hard to stop again this year, but I don't think Leinster football has gone back. There are a lot of teams evenly matched, and a lot more teams could win it, than won't win it.

"Not that we're looking any further than the first game against Meath. We've got to be realistic. Really the most important thing at this stage is to get over the first hurdle at the end of May. But for some reason the bigger the obstacle the better we perform."

Doyle's free-taking is sure to impact on Sunday's result, and if recent form is anything to go by it could be a winning impact. Naturally he dismisses all talk of Kildare being a one-man show.

"After games you would be picking up the paper, I'd do that myself, looking to see who's doing the scoring. You see a certain player kicking six or seven points, and you think he must have played well. Even though he mightn't have. A lot of games have been a bit like that for me. Maybe a guy half kills himself to get the ball to me, and I tap it over the bar from 20 yards out.

"The frees have gone well, though. It's something I do practise a lot. I often heard Larry Tompkins say the more he practised the luckier he got, and it's the same with me. Hopefully they can continue to go well."

Division One B

P W D L F A PD Pts

Kildare 6 4 1 1 2-62 3-54 +5 9

Laois 6 3 2 1 5-67 4-56 +14 8

Galway 6 4 0 2 3-57 1-55 +8 8

Derry 6 3 1 2 3-64 5-55 +3 7

Westmeath 6 3 0 3 4-55 4-59 -4 6

Louth 6 2 1 3 7-65 4-68 +6 5

Armagh 6 2 0 4 3-52 2-69 -14 4

Down 6 0 1 5 1-62 5-68 -18 1

Next weekend - ... Galway v Down, Kildare v Laois,

Derry v Louth, Armagh v Westmeath.