‘The lads wanted this win really badly’ – Jack Cooney

Westmeath senior football manager Jack Cooney was understandably “delighted to get the win” in Tullamore last Sunday, his charges confirming their pre-match favouritism in spectacular fashion with a particularly power-packed second half display.

The bainisteoir continued: “It would have been a long year without a win. Both teams came in today after tough league campaigns, both searching for a win. It was always going to be tight at the start, like every championship match. Both teams went at it hard from the start. I think we played some nice football up to the first water break, but the second quarter was not so good. In that second quarter we probably handed the initiative back to Laois a wee bit. We gave them oxygen and they used it very well. We addressed that at half-time and we addressed our structure with Jamie (Gonoud) on a black card. We were more organised when we came back for the second half. After the goal (by Denis Corroon) we kind of took more control of the game. The goal gave us something to go after in the game.”

Westmeath racked up a huge total of 3-20, but the Coralstown/Kinnegad man also praised his defenders. “I think our defence did really well today at times, particularly in the second half when we kept them scoreless for a long period. I’m delighted that the lads never stopped going. It’s a good sign when the lads are still turning over ball in their own back line in the dying minutes of the game. I’m delighted with that aspect to be honest. The lads wanted it really badly in that second half,” he opined.

Last Sunday was the first victory for Cooney’s troops in 2021. In this regard, he reflected: “We had really good performances in the league, but with nothing to show for them. The lads were very determined to get the win today. They spent the Saturday night down in Cork after the last game. They had a bit of craic down there and that was important for them. They came in very fresh and prepared for today. It was a short preparation, a three-week preparation period which was ideal for us. In olden days, that could have been a six- or seven-week period which can flatten things off a little bit. A lot of things worked in our favour, but the lads just took ownership of it and prepared really well for today.”

The raising of three green flags particularly pleased Cooney, who stated: “Yes, we worked hard on that in training because we created a lot of goal chances in the league and we didn’t convert them. We now get another two weeks’ prep, which is great. Our subs did very well also. The first 15 are only as good as the lads that are pushing them in training. That’s what I have been pushing for in the three years that I have been involved,” he concluded.

Three hours after Cooney’s post-match duties, the semi-final draw was made for the Delaney Cup with Westmeath set to face Kildare, and Dublin meeting Meath. Both games are fixed for July 18.