McCaffrey has only appeared once in their last eight games between League and championship this season but the 2015 Footballer of the Year is primed to come back into the mix.
“Jack is back training,” Dublin boss Dessie Farrell said after their comprehensive semi-final victory over Offaly. “It’s just literally getting more exposure in internal games.
“It’s just about sharpening him up, getting him back to match sharpness. He’s close, just maybe not ready for this one but he’s very close.”
Brian Howard has lost his fitness race, however, after the two-time All-Star “picked up a knock during the week” of the Offaly game but all roads still lead to 14 in-a-row for the Dubs.
Dublin’s superiority in Leinster is reflected in their frightening odds of 1/100 to defeat Louth (who are as big as 25/1) in a repeat of last year’s provincial final.
Today’s Sport News in 90 Seconds – 10th May
Meanwhile, Ethan Rafferty is once again named among the subs for Armagh’s Ulster SFC final against Donegal on Sunday having returned from a broken leg suffered on club duty last July.
It will be fascinating to see if the Grange clubman plays a part at some stage with his ‘fly-keeper’ role a mainstay of Kieran McGeeney’s tactical approach in recent years.
Eoin Murphy also returns between the posts for Kilkenny in their Leinster SHC clash against Carlow tomorrow having overcome a head knock which he picked up in their round one victory over Antrim.
Dublin (SF v Louth): S Cluxton; S MacMahon, M Fitzsimons, E Murchan; T Lahiff, J Small, C Murphy; B Fenton, J McCarthy; C Costello, C Kilkenny, N Scully; P Mannion, C O’Callaghan, C Basquel.
Kildare (SF v Longford): M Donnellan; R Houlihan, M O’Grady, R Burke; T Archbold, B Byrne, J Sargent; A Masterson, B Gibbons; S Farrell, D Kirwan, P McDermott; P Woodgate, D Flynn, K Feely.
Armagh (SF v Donegal): B Hughes; P Burns, A McKay, P McGrane; J McElroy, C Mackin, A Forker; R O’Neill, B Crealey; S Campbell, R Grugan, G McCabe; O Conaty, A Murnin, C Turbitt.
Offaly (SF v London): I Duffy; L Pearson, D Dempsey, J Furlong; C Egan, D Hogan, P Cunningham; E Carroll, C Donoghue; D Hyland, C Flynn, J Hayes; C Farrell, K O’Neill, J Bryant.
Kilkenny (SH v Carlow): E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; D Blanchfield, P Deegan, S Murphy; C Kenny, R Reid; M Keoghan, J Donnelly, T Phelan; B Ryan, TJ Reid, O Wall.
Antrim (SH v Dublin): R Elliott; N O’Connor, R McGarry, P Burke; G Walsh, C Boyd, C Bohill; S Elliott, E Campbell; N Elliott, K Molloy, J McNaughton; C Cunning, N McKenna, A O’Brien.
Dublin: S Brennan; J Bellew, P Smyth, P Doyle; C Crummey, C Donohoe, E O’Donnell; M Grogan, C Burke; D Sutcliffe, D Burke, S Currie; F Whitely, C O’Sullivan, P Crummey.
