Jackie Tyrrell believes Kildare are now genuine contenders to win the Joe McDonagh Cup and play Leinster round-robin hurling for the first time.
The Lilywhites, managed by Tyrrell's former Kilkenny team-mate Brian Dowling, will be guaranteed a place in the final if they can beat bottom side Down on Sunday.
That follows successive sensational away victories over Carlow and Laois over the last two weekends.
Dowling's men beat the McDonagh favourites by 11 points - 4-20 to 1-18 - on their home turf of O'Moore Park and Tyrrell warns against assuming that Laois or Carlow would turn things around in a decider.
Those two play each other in the final round this weekend, meaning only a draw between them and failure to defeat Down could deny Kildare.
"Brian is doing an exceptional job," nine-time All-Ireland winner Tyrrell told the RTÉ GAA podcast.
"The last two results, particularly Laois at the weekend, and the manner in which they won, has propelled them into a great position.
"The goals they scored over the weekend, they are playing a really good brand of hurling.
"If Kildare are to get into a Joe McDonagh final from where they came from two games ago… they could potentially win it at that stage because they are just playing with such confidence and momentum.
"Laois had been flying it up to that point so I'm there will be a few more twists there."
Down are in a three-way fight to avoid relegation, however, and could stay up even in defeat if Westmeath can win in Kerry.
"Down had a big win over Kerry last weekend to give them a chance of staying up," said Tyrrell.
"It might be important for them to stay up considering their league success [promotion to Division 1B].
"So huge jeopardy there in terms of the final weekend.
"If you look at the league standings, three of them on six [points] and three on two, there is such parity in Joe Mc.
"It continues to be an outstanding competition of guys of a similar level, really in putting a huge amount.
"It's not like the Tailteann Cup, where some teams kind of pick and choose, no-one looks at the Joe McDonagh and doesn’t really go after it."
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