Peter Brady's chances of figuring in Offaly's attack for Sunday's National Football League final against Derry in Croke Park improve by the hour.

The muscular back problem sustained by the Offaly man is responding to treatment and a forward spot is likely to be left vacant for him when the team is announced this evening.

"We will probably pick Peter and wait until Saturday to see how he progresses," manager Tommy Lyons said. Should Brady fail a fitness test there is no guarantee that Mark Daly will be fit to replace him as was the case for the semi-final against Donegal. Daly retired with a hamstring injury in that game and is since slow to recover.

Lyons's confidence in the ability of his players was clear during dialogue on Brady's chances of being fit. "Well, you know, he is only one of 15 players at this stage." Lyons, by definition, was making the point that all his players are good enough and equally capable of playing well following months of professional styled preparation.

Identifying the faults and working hard to eradicate them has been a priority at all Offaly training sessions for many months.

Lyons is hoping for a dry day on Sunday. His wish has nothing to do with the collapse against Mayo in last year's rain drenched All-Ireland semi-final. "It wasn't the wet day that beat us that day. It was a case of the heads not being right. You don't win your first Leinster in 15 years out of nowhere and get right in two weeks. If we get a dry day we'll have a good 50-50 chance."

It will suit Lyons's team to play against a football team like Derry. He likens them to Donegal and Down in terms of combined football skills and reckons it will be a fast and open game.

"We took a lot of problems with us out of Croke Park from the Donegal game and have been trying to solve them. That's what we are about, trying to improve all the time," Lyons said. Lyons considers Derry to be a strong and smart football team. The midfield sector will be crucial in his opinion. "To be honest we are very worried about the Derry midfield; Anthony Tohill and Dermot Heaney are two very fine footballers. Tohill seems to be back to his best so, a priority for us will be to break even at midfield.

"Henry Downey is as good a Gaelic footballer that's in the country. We will have to watch him very carefully. He makes a lot of runs up the field from no matter what position he plays," he said.

The win over Donegal helped Offaly to break something of a psychological barrier initiated by the defeat at the hands of Mayo in last years semi-final.

"We were delighted to come back to Croke Park and win the last day. The previous time we were there we didn't perform," he recalls.

Derry it seems have problems following defeat by Armagh in Sunday's Ulster under-21 football final. They have decided to defer naming their side until training on Wednesday night. Left half forward Eamonn Burns who picked up a hamstring injury in the semi-final against Monaghan is doubtful and Johnny McBride, sent off in that game, awaits his fate at a meeting of the Ulster council this evening.

Meanwhile, Gerry Burke, the 39year-old veteran who led Corofin to success over Erin's Isle in last months All-Ireland club final in Croke Park became the first footballer to be honoured with an Eircell GAA All-Stars player of the month award at a function in Galway yesterday.

The Eircell monthly award scheme whereby the recipient is honoured in his home county is a new dimension to the All-Star sponsorship.