This is a big one, not just for two proud clubs but two proud counties. The Leinster club championship has been as open and as democratic this past 10 years as the Leinster inter-county championship, with five different counties lifting the AIB cup in the last six years, yet Offaly and Kildare have been neither of those counties. You have to go back 25 years since a Kildare club last won this title, and 20 years for an Offaly side.

Rhode in particular will feel it's about time they claimed this title. After being wiped off the field against eventual champions Portlaoise two years ago, they pushed eventual champions Kilmacud Crokes harder last year than even Moorefield's old rivals Sarsfields did in the final. From that, they realised they had the capacity to win at this level and it was that conviction which underlined their surprise win over UCD a fortnight ago.

Moorefield are hard to beat.

They don't score a lot but they concede very little (the most they've conceded in this campaign is eight scores) while Ross Glavin and Daryl Flynn (right) have been the outstanding midfield of this competition, even getting the upperhand of Martin Flanagan last week. But you wonder have they had enough time to recover from the battle with Tyrrellspass, and whether they have enough scoring power, something Rhode do in Niall McNamee, with some support from Roy Malone and Pascal Kellaghan.

Verdict Rhode by two

RHODE C Masterson; M Cassidy, B Malone, B Darby; C Heavey, D Bannon, E Byrne; A McNamee, P Sullivan; P Kellaghan, R Malone, S Sullivan; M Cole, G Hickey, N McNamee

MOOREFIELD (probable) T Corely; P O'Slane, G Naughton, I Lonergan; K Duane, J Lonergan, A Melia; R Glavin, D Flynn; F Hanniffy, P Murray, M Tracey; P Woulfe, R Sweeney, N Hurley-Lynch