Up to and including the 1995 Leinster final, Kilkenny and Offaly had hardly given us a bad championship game. Since then we've hardly had a good one. Of the five meetings in the last three years, some have featured good performances - Kilkenny in the last two years and Offaly in the '98 All-Ireland - but the sense of anticipation that used to precede the meetings of Leinster's great modern rivals has all but dissipated.

Offaly have made a routine out of springing one great surprise each year but nowadays Kilkenny seem to be the one county that doesn't get caught. Twice last year and once the year before, they overwhelmed Offaly.

What has changed to alter that state of affairs?

Kilkenny are carrying some injury doubts and the full forward line doesn't look to carry the same menace at present with DJ Carey carrying an ankle strain and Charlie Carter apparently at odds with his game.

Michael Bond has returned as manager and his ability to connect with the team's instincts may revive them as it did in '98. Hubert Rigney is back and even if it's not at centre back his sense of imperturbable calm is an asset to the defence.

There the inventory dries up. Against that, Joe Dooley and Michael Duignan have retired and although both were getting on, both were also key members of the first team and not simply wise counsellors seeing out their time on the bench.

Despite their marvellous technique, durability and matchless self-confidence, Offaly are in slow decline. Expecting them to pull rabbits eternally from a hat is unreasonable.