Westmeath manager Tom Cribbin feels that Sunday's Leinster SFC semi-final opponents Kildare are not a step up from the Offaly side the Midlanders defeated in the last round.
A defiant Cribbin stated in the Westmeath Examiner that the three counties are on a par even though Kildare will be plying their trade in Division 2 next year, while Westmeath will be in Division Four.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's clash at Croke Park, Cribbin was in a bullish mood about his side's chances of progressing to a second successive Leinster SFC final.
"I don't think they will be much better than Offaly," said Cribbin. Offaly's tails were up and they had a great win over Longford in the first round.
"I think the three counties are on a par - Westmeath, Kildare and Offaly. Kildare have a few big guns injured at the moment and that'll definitely help us.
"They (Kildare) are trying to play a defensive game plan and they are obviously thinking ahead - as most teams are nowadays - about how they would play against Dublin.
"They are a young team with some older guys, and are in a transitional period. They are probably thinking 'damage limitation' against Dublin if they get that far."
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