The qualifiers have been positive for both sides. Westmeath have been able to survive their unlucky defeat by Meath and Louth have been able to make up the ground lost by their FMD-enforced inactivity. Louth's surprise scalping of Offaly was well executed. Conversion of chances could have been a bit better but there was a coherence to the performance that Offaly couldn't match. Today will be different. Westmeath are blossoming into a decent senior outfit and in the aftermath of Meath's defeat of Kildare, it was being remarked that but for that unfortunate one- point defeat, Westmeath could well have been on their way to a first Leinster title. A team's development nearly always includes those agonising setbacks but Luke Dempsey's team are now formidably positioned.

Westmeath: C Mullin; K Keane, D Mitchell, F Murray; B Morley, D Murphy, D Heavin; R O'Connell, D O'Shaughnessy; F Wilson, P Conway, M Ennis; D Dolan, M Flanagan, G Heavin.

Louth: C Nally; B Philips, A Hoey, Denis Reilly; J Neary, S Melia, S Gerrard; S O'Hanlon, M Farrelly; C Grimes, David Reilly, M Stanfield; C O'Hanlon, O McDonnell, C Kelly. Subs: P Brennan, D Shevlin, D Brennan, A Page, K Reilly, N Flynn, JP Rooney, D Kirwan.