NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE:THE GAA can be forgiven for dreaming that Dublin's good start to the National Football League might hold out the promise of a grandstand finish to the season. Top of the table after three matches, the Leinster champions are in their best position to reach the final for the first time in 11 years.

Attendances have stabilised in the past couple of years, albeit at a lower level than the 2007 benchmark, but the NFL this season won’t have the benefit of a gala curtain raiser, as provided by Dublin and Tyrone last year and in 2007.

Were Dublin to stay in the top two of the league, there would at least be the chance to end the season with a bang, rather than starting it with one, which has been the experience in recent years.

The GAA hasn’t been lucky with the football finalists in the past decade.

The past three finals have featured Kerry-Derry twice and Donegal-Mayo, all played in Dublin and attracting an average of less than 20,000.

The biggest attendance at an NFL final in the past 10 years was Armagh-Wexford, 46,445, in 2005, but otherwise the 30,000 figure has rarely been breached.

It has been general policy for the GAA to stage the NFL Division One final in Croke Park although in 2008 Parnell Park was used for the Derry-Kerry final that was attended by fewer than 10,000.

“We would probably be inclined to continue playing the Division One final in Croke Park for the time being,” said GAA operations manager Feargal McGill last year.

“There is an argument that as the national final of our second most important competition, it should always be played here and I would subscribe to that view strongly.”

GAA sources confirmed yesterday this would again be the position this year.

In 1999, however, when Dublin travelled to Cork for the league final the result was a crowd officially estimated as 10,000 but which was probably smaller.

Meanwhile, tonight sees a fixture in Division Two of the NHL with Laois taking on Kildare in Portlaoise in a match rearranged after the bad weather forced postponement two weeks ago.

Under Niall Rigney Laois have started the season well even if they lost to one of the promotion favourites Clare in their most recent match.

Newly-promoted Kildare have found the increased pace of life in Division Two hard to handle and were well beaten by Antrim in the only match to date.

Laois don’t look in the mood to make things any easier for their neighbours.

• The second replay of the Harty Cup final between holders Thurles CBS and Ardscoil Rís, Limerick, has been refixed for Thursday at McDonagh Park, Nenagh (2.30). The sides have drawn twice attracting crowds of 2,596 and 2,090 but this week's attendance is expected to be lower because of the timing of the game.