Kildare’s experience can help them overcome Longford hurdle

If formlines can be trusted – a sizeable ‘if’ at the best of times – these are two dead evenly matched teams.

Both have a water-boarding from Dublin on their summer 2015 CV, both have a squeaked win over Offaly against their name as well.

Both will play in Division Three next year, albeit that they came to it from opposite directions.

The question is which outfit do you trust more – an ex-Division Four team having a decent year or an ex-Division Two side not quite hitting their straps?

Kildare have the players and the experience and the qualifier pedigree.

But there was a different vibe about them in the years where they were using the qualifiers to regroup for the last eight. Even if they come through here, can anyone see more than a fortnight left in their campaign this year?

Longford have a bit of go about them, possibly because they effectively took a dive against Dublin and so it probably didn't scar them just as badly as what happened to Kildare.

Beating Clare on their home patch last week was impressive and there are far worse 11/4 shots around this weekend.

That said, you have to go back to 1967 for the last time Longford beat Kildare in the championship. If this was in Longford, maybe. But we'll go with Kildare by a hair. Verdict: Kildare