Fortune outlines vision and names his backroom team
Prior to last Sunday’s Westmeath senior hurling final, county chairman Frank Mescall formally introduced the Lake County’s new senior manager Joe Fortune to the local media in the meeting room in TEG Cusack Park.
The Ballynacargy man extended a “céad mile fáilte to the man he was "immediately convinced was the right choice to manage the Westmeath senior hurlers”.
The Wexford native, who has been domiciled in Dublin for the past 22 years, then took to the floor to state: “The first time that I sat down with Frank, I had a vision of where I want to go with all this.
He continued: “I have been somewhat successful with Dublin and Ballyboden (St Enda’s) over the last number of years, but the step-up now is big. I was conscious when I took the job that I wanted to put the right people around me. The welcome we got here from the people on the ground from the very first day was just phenomenal.
“When you talk about a backroom team, I nearly need the people in the stand to be my backroom team as well. The support I have seen for club teams over the past five/six weeks has been phenomenal – vociferous, noisy – it’s just incredible.
“Westmeath is a very proud hurling county. I will leave no stone unturned with regard to my preparation.”
He then named the various personnel, as follows:
Head coach: Paul O’Donoghue (“a very young innovative coach, a Cork man but we won’t hold that against him!”);
Selectors: Peter Kelly (“a Dublin All Star full-back with experience in Lucan, and also Dublin camogie”) and Eddie Casey (“a Mullingar man who impresses me every time I meet him with regard to the standards he sets for himself”);
Strength and conditioning: Richie Flynn (“a Wexford man”) and Joe Nangle (“from Wolfhound Gym in Mullingar”);
Physio: Alan Kelly (“he is remaining on”);
Logistics: Keith Quinn, Billy Boyle, David Carr, and Ciarán Williams (“people who are as important to the set-up as I am”).
Fortune continued as follows: “I can’t wait to get started. I have been very impressed by the standard of club hurling that is here, but am also very aware of the challenges ahead facing into a tough Division 2 campaign. My aim is to get back to Division 1. I think that the people I have behind me will be a big help, but it’s going to be all down to the players.”
He proceeded to take questions from the floor. In relation to his initial plans for the rest of November and December, he responded: “When I was with Ballyboden, it perturbed me the way that a county manager would want his players in before club campaigns were over. I have massive respect for what club managers are doing. I won’t be involving any lads in Westmeath as long as they are involved with their clubs. For us to be successful, I need the clubs in the county to be behind me.”
It was put to him that the step-up from Division 2 to the Liam MacCarthy Cup is enormous. He concurred, stating: “Absolutely. The challenge to get to Division 1 is massive, but it’s one that I’m ready for. Please God, we will be welcoming Kilkenny or Wexford here to Mullingar in the championship. That standard of hurling probably helped Westmeath last year to a certain extent, even if they got a few considerable beatings.
“We will work as hard as any Division 1 team as long as the players buy into that. Outside of the games, that’s all I can do at the minute. This time next year, please God, I hope you will be asking, ‘how will you be preparing for Division 1 ahead of the Liam MacCarthy?’ The lads are very disappointed about the Laois result (in the relegation play-off).”
And what about new players? He replied: “There will be new faces, absolutely. There are no Kehoe or Walsh Cup games this year. In some ways it’s no harm, as it gives me the chance to have a block of training for these players. My plan is to have three or four really competitive games for January.
“There are some young players that I have been very impressed with and I’ve been in contact with them all. I want to bring up a few U20 players for ‘s and c’ work. I need to put time into them now. There are lads who may not play senior in 2022, but for the long-term development in Westmeath it could make a significant progression in their development going forward.”
Any likely retirements? Fortune answered: “No. I’ve had conversations with players who, to put it politely, may be coming towards the end of their careers, but nobody so far has said they are not putting their name forward.
“There may be lads going travelling, and I’m conscious that with the way the last two years have gone that a young player may decide he wants to go travelling. I wouldn’t step in anyone’s way.
“We’ve all learned over the past couple of years of the importance of life outside of hurling. We’re probably looking at 50 players at the moment and that will have to be condensed before I get given out to by Frank (Mescall) and Patrick (Doherty),” he wrapped up with a smile.
- Gerry Buckley