The Westmeath Minotaurs players and mentors. Back row, from left: Joe Kinahan, Conor Brennan, Paddy Lally, Conor Dougherty, Dean Johnston, Stephen Goonery, Mark Mulvaney, Steven Nally, Jayo McBride, Jack Lynch, Dean Core, Kevin Tempany, Ros McAdden, Shaun Dalton, J O Coyne, Rafael Monteiro, Darren Sammon, Kevin Monaghan, Club Chairman Adam Corcoran, Asst Coach Bill Dougherty. Front, from left: Gordon Murphy, Dermot Corroon, Colm Sammon, Padraic Cunningham, Cormac Fagan, Luca Valentini, Sean McCormack, Andrew Paton, #5 Niall King, Colin Regan, Liam Dougherty, David Walsh, Jason Owens. Not pictured: Jay Bruton, Niall Corcoran, Niall Folan, Jordan L. Photo by Thomas Casey.

Minotaurs eye first trophy

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The Westmeath Minotaurs players and mentors. Back row, from left: Joe Kinahan, Conor Brennan, Paddy Lally, Conor Dougherty, Dean Johnston, Stephen Goonery, Mark Mulvaney, Steven Nally, Jayo McBride, Jack Lynch, Dean Core, Kevin Tempany, Ros McAdden, Shaun Dalton, J O Coyne, Rafael Monteiro, Darren Sammon, Kevin Monaghan, Club Chairman Adam Corcoran, Asst Coach Bill Dougherty. Front, from left: Gordon Murphy, Dermot Corroon, Colm Sammon, Padraic Cunningham, Cormac Fagan, Luca Valentini, Sean McCormack, Andrew Paton, #5 Niall King, Colin Regan, Liam Dougherty, David Walsh, Jason Owens. Not pictured: Jay Bruton, Niall Corcoran, Niall Folan, Jordan L. Photo by Thomas Casey. THOMAS CASEY

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A rock solid defence has been one of the cornerstones of the Minotaurs’ success this season. THOMAS CASEY

Paul Hughes

Published: Fri 26 Jul 2019, 10:34 AM

Last updated: Fri 2 Aug 2019, 10:57 AM

The Westmeath Minotaurs American Football Club are preparing for the biggest game in their history as they prepare to face the Craigavon Cowboys in the Irish American Football League Division One Final in Navan RFC this Sunday, July 28.

The Minotaurs have been in existence since 2011 and play their home games in Mullingar Rugby Club. This year the club expanded into the Athlone region, playing the opening game of the 2019 season in Athlone IT. The 2019 season has been a great success so far. The team finished with a 6-2 win/loss record and beat the Wexford Eagles in the semi-final 27-22 on Sunday July 14.

The club brings players and coaches together from all across the county and beyond; players hail from Athlone, Offaly, Longford, Cavan and Meath. The club caters for youths (players from the ages of 15-18) as well as a non-contact tag football team, open to people of all genders, ages and abilities.

The Minotaurs have gone from strength to strength over the past couple of years after several years spent building up numbers, experience, facilities, equipment and much more. Under the leadership of coaches Conor Brennan, Paddy Lally and Bill Dougherty the Minotaurs have gone 6-2 in back to back seasons. Last year saw a narrow quarter-final defeat at the hands of the eventual champions the West Dublin Rhinos. This year the lads aim to finish the job against an excellent Cowboys team.

This season the Minotaurs have become the best offense in the division. A mix of youth and veteran leadership has propelled the club to the top of the scoring charts. The defense is similarly a top unit, ranking third overall. Both will be put to the test against a Cowboys team that defeated Westmeath at home in the last game of the season. However, the Minotaurs welcomed back a whole host of starters from holidays and injury for the semi-final and are looking forward to locking horns with the Cowboys once again on Sunday.

Conor Brennan, Head Coach of the Minotaurs, had this to say about the upcoming final: "We’re all naturally delighted to get the chance to play in this final. This is a process that started really two years ago after a lacklustre 2017 campaign where we won just three games. Every player bought into a fresh approach and several of our younger lads have even represented Ireland internationally which is a source of great pride for all of us. We have a laid back approach in many ways. We arrive at a game laughing and joking and don’t take things too seriously. This has benefitted us immensely over the past two years and it has resulted in back to back play-off appearances and now a final. I’m looking forward to it and I know the lads are raring to go." We’re going to go out there and play our very best and try and put in an excellent performance. That’s all we can do ourselves and we’ll see where that takes us in the end.’

None of the recent success could happen without the volunteers behind the scenes that give their time and energy so willingly for the cause. The club is blessed with a host of sponsors, The Galway Roast and Athlone pub The Dark Horse, and are very grateful to Mullingar Rugby Club for the use of their fantastic facilities.

Everyone at the Minotaurs would love to see an army of supporters head for Navan RFC on July 28, with kick-off at 2pm. If you’re interested in joining the club, check out the Facebook page for further contact details.