Westmeath minors set to face Louth in Leinster opener

Westmeath’s minor footballers begin their Leinster championship game with an opening round clash against Louth this Saturday at TEG Cusack Park (12.00).

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on preparations - particularly up until recent weeks - but Westmeath minor manager Vinny Cox is philosophical about the challenges involved.

“It’s a level playing field in that it’s the same for every team,” he told the Westmeath Independent.

“The biggest challenge was not being able to see the players in their own environment playing for their clubs and their schools. We had no real basis for selecting the panel at the start, we were depending on the honesty of the clubs in telling us about their players.

“We had no challenge matches until we were allowed to play them in early June. We were depending on in-house games between ourselves to see how the lads were going,” Cox continued.

Another challenge that Cox and his management team have to deal with is the number of dual players in the squad, with the manager pointing out that nine players are in this category. However, Vinny said both managements teams have done their utmost to ensure players who wish to represent their county in both sports can do so.

“I’ve mostly dealt with Fintan Clarke (who is in charge of the minor hurling team alongside Noel Conaty) and we’ve made arrangements so that players would train adequately but not get burned out. Players have never been put in the position where they have to choose football or hurling,” he said.

Vinny is delighted to have two former Westmeath players in Garrycastle’s David O’Shaughnessy (Delaney Cup winning captain in 2004) and Rosemount’s David Keane as part of his management team. He also praises Gary Devine of St Loman’s, Mullingar for his ability to relate to the young players in the squad.

“It’s very much a management team, we make decisions as a group and I think we have a good balance,” he said.

Rosemount player Darren O’Connell is the panel’s strength & conditioning coach. “Darren brought things to a whole new level with the sessions on Zoom and individual sessions with players,” said Vinny.

“For about two months our only contact with the players was through Zoom. We were trying to get to know the players through Zoom which is so different from the normal situation. But we’ve had 18-20 pitch sessions since we were allowed to train as a group,” he continued.

John Duignan was initially involved in the set-up but he had to depart due to other commitments. “John couldn’t fully commit as he’s chairman of Killucan, but he has been brilliant to deal with and we can always ring him up for advice if needed,” said Cox.

Vinny is a former Ballymore player who has been heavily involved with Cill Óige (he is still chairman of the Rosemount/Castledaly outfit) in recent years.

But his home club is St Faithleach’s of Ballyleague in Co. Roscommon. Vinny is a cousin of former Roscommon players Ray and Gary Cox, and he’s an uncle of current Roscommon stars Ciarain and Diarmuid Murtagh.

He moved to Westmeath after getting married to Suzanne (née Rooney), and they have two sons, Ben and Matthew, both of whom are prominent footballers.

Explaining how he ended up playing for Ballymore, Vinny recalled: “I used to go to Cunningham’s in Ballymore and lads like Willie Finnerty and Paddy Martin asked me would I be interested in playing a bit of football. I didn’t know anything about the local parishes at the time.

“You think you’ll never change clubs but I’ve had three clubs and I have a passionate interest in them all. I still look out for St Faithleach’s results and I like to see Ballymore doing well apart from when they’re playing ourselves (Rosemount)!”

The Westmeath minors will be hoping to avoid the fate of last year’s team who bowed out after one outing - a defeat to Meath. Cox believes it is a pity that this year’s Leinster minor championship is also a straight knockout.

“A lot of preparation has gone into the team and it could be all over after one match if we don’t perform,” he remarked.

“We’ve had no league games so it’s disappointing that there isn’t a round robin system or a second chance. We’re trying to give the players county experience but it’s very hard this year. When we pick the panel for next Saturday’s game, I know some lads and their parents will be disappointed.”

Cox is glad of the home venue for Saturday’s game against Louth. “It is a plus for sure. Even on the morning of the game, it’s easier for the lads to make their way into Cusack Park rather than travelling to an away venue. About half of the panel have actually never played a match in Cusack Park, but we had a session there lately which we were glad to get.”

Cox admits that he knows very little about the Louth team, with the impact of Covid-19 presenting “a whole different dynamic” in terms of trying to learn about opposing teams.

Westmeath played challenge matches against Fermanagh and Leitrim recently, and Cox said the team is eagerly looking forward to Saturday’s assignment.

“With the number of Westmeath school teams competing at ‘A’ level in Leinster, hopefully that will start coming through to county level at some stage,” said Vinny.

Speaking with refreshing candour, Cox said that if things don’t work out on Saturday, the management team will have to carry the can, as he feels the players and officials have done all that could have been expected of them and more.

“The county board has been very good to us and the clubs have done everything they can to facilitate us. Alan Leech and Kevin Jordan (Westmeath Coiste na nÓg chairperson and secretary respectively) have been extraordinarily good; everything we’ve asked for, we’ve got.

“Clubs like Rosemount, Moate, Kilbeggan, Tubberclair and Milltown have given us their pitches at the drop of a hat and sometimes they moved their own training sessions to facilitate us. There is a huge amount of support and goodwill for Westmeath teams among the clubs.

“We’ve also got a great response and buy-in from the players. They have been locked up for so long that they are very eager for games now,” he added.

In addition to the members of the management team previously mentioned, Martina Seery fulfils the role of coordinator and Mark Scally and Patsy Sheehan are the physios. Cox said well-known coach Eddie Bouabbse has been “very helpful”, also thanking Tubberclair’s Alan Coffey for giving a talk to the players on nutrition. The management team is also grateful to the Annebrook House Hotel for supplying food to players after training sessions.

Westmeath minor football panel

Johnny Martin (Athlone); Harry Stuart Trainor, Tadhg Baker (Caulry); David O'Reilly, Sean Conlon (Cill Óige); Senan O'Driscoll, Rian Holding, Josh Murtagh (The Downs); Jack Mulvihill (Garrycastle); Brian Cooney, Liam Daly (Coralstown/Kinnegad); Jack Duncan, Sean Dillon, Peter Ballesty (Millmore Gaels); Daragh Lowry, Tobby Conteh, Ronan Murray, Sam Fannin, Eoin Bracken (Moate All Whites); Shane Ormsby (Mullingar Shamrocks); Cian Molloy (Shandonagh); Ciaran Smyth, Tadhg Kenny (St Loman's Mullingar); David Maloney, Shane Corcoran (St Malachy's); Ben McDonnell (St Joseph's); Shane Keenan (Tang); Kevin Claffey, Joseph Martin, Robbie Byrne (Tubberclair); Cormac Monaghan, Peter Clarke (Tyrrellspass).