Improvement needed to keep up winning record vs Offaly

Gerry Buckley looks ahead to next Sunday’s Tailteann Cup semi-final against Offaly in Croke Park.

The great irony about the first staging of a Tailteann Cup semi-final double-header at Croke Park next Sunday is that there seems to be a near-unanimous view among Westmeath supporters that a once-rare ‘day out’ in GAA headquarters is now considered very much a hassle.

Yours truly could easily rhyme off such treasured days on Jones’ Road from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s inclusive and, while defeat was almost always the outcome, there was a great sense of pride taking centre stage at the prized venue complete with maroon and white paper hat, irrespective of the paucity of spectators present.

The great management of Luke Dempsey at underage and again at senior level, followed by even better senior days under the late, great Páidí Ó Sé spoiled us all, and there is almost a sense of entitlement among the ever-dwindling Lake County fans of (at least) one big game per annum in the hallowed ground.

Of course, in the case of next Sunday’s opponents, Offaly, they have had significant spells of umpteen successful games every year - and in both codes - in Croke Park. Their visits, in either code, have been few and far between since the turn of the millennium, but I still suspect that Faithful County fans would have been glad to toss for venue between Bord na Mona O’Connor Park and TEG Cusack Park next weekend.

The latter’s capacity would surely have been tested similar to the infamous O’Byrne Cup final against Meath over 18 years ago, and the businesses in Mullingar would have been given a much-needed boost after two draining years – mentally and financially – of Covid-19. With the soaring price of petrol and diesel, and pretty much everything else, following any of the four teams in the flesh next Sunday will be a costly exercise. Of course, live TV is a simple alternative.

Given the now-obligatory gap between games to allow for the possibility of extra-time and penalties, it is difficult to envisage too many Cavan or Sligo fans (throw-in 1.45pm) hanging on for the Westmeath v Offaly game at 4pm. Yours truly found such a wait to be quite a drag between the Leinster ladies and men’s senior finals at the same ground a few weeks ago.

That’s the negative slant on things out of the way, but it’s undoubtedly positive that Jack Cooney’s charges are playing an eminently-winnable game of ‘championship’ football so close to the much-maligned business end of the new summer schedule. ‘Winnable’ is fine and dandy, but actually defeating their southern neighbours is sure to be a very tricky proposition for Westmeath.

The shape of the Westmeath v Offaly head-to-head graph has changed dramatically in the 21st century. Since Michael Ennis kicked the winning point in a first round game in Croke Park on May 23, 2004, the underdogs for years have dominated the age-old rivalry. Brian Morley’s iffy ‘point’ that day is still trotted out by some tricoloured fans and many reporters, but the losers in the record books had ample chances later in the game to make up for this dodgy white flag. And they didn’t take them.

I always recall the respective words of two very fair-minded Offaly men at the time. With hordes of his fellow-county men screaming for a rematch, the first said to me: “Bad enough losing to ye for the first time in the championship in 55 years, if we played ye again it would be a second defeat!” I concurred at the time, and still do. The other opined: “With the monkey off your back, ye will begin to beat us on a regular basis.” I concurred at the time, and the facts back me up.

A new green, white and gold monkey will do his utmost next weekend to gain a modicum of revenge for a ten-point hammering in Mullingar when the sides last met in the Leinster SFC five years ago. There is no doubt but that football and hurling have come on significantly in Offaly in recent years at underage level, including a well-deserved All-Ireland U20 crown in 2021. A handful of the latter team are now hovering in or around John Maughan’s senior squad.

Overall, however, the once-perennial challengers for at least provincial honours have endured dismal results in the championship ‘proper’ for the last decade-and-a-half. Witness a defeat at the hands of unheralded Wexford this year, with the only consolation being the avoidance of an almost certain drubbing from the Dubs. The shock loss to the Model County was avenged somewhat in the preliminary round of the Tailteann Cup, and subsequent victories over Wicklow and New York have propelled Maughan’s troops to next Sunday’s local derby shootout.

Westmeath will unquestionably represent a step-up in class for the team relegated to Division 3 (where both teams will operate next year) earlier this season. Kevin Maguire (hopefully, his return after suspension will prevent a repetition of the presents donated to Carlow last Sunday week) and his merry men, playing at their best, have the hard core of youth and experience needed to qualify for a historic Tailteann Cup final. But it will need their most consistent display of 2022 to overcome a hungry Offaly side.

A quick look at the stats of the ‘proper’ championship games between the sides shows that the public perception that Offaly were always the stronger side in the 20th century is incorrect. The three-time Sam Maguire Cup champions edge the rivalry 10-9, with three matches drawn, as follows.

*Westmeath v Offaly – past championship meetings

23/6/1918, Rochfortbridge, Westmeath 4-4, Offaly 1-2

15/6/1919, Tullamore, Westmeath, 0-3 Offaly 0-2

22/5/1932, Tullamore, Westmeath, 3-5 Offaly 0-4

5/5/1935, Cusack Park, Westmeath, 3-7 Offaly 2-2

3/5/1936, Tullamore, Offaly 6-5, Westmeath 0-11

21/5/1944, Tullamore, Offaly 3-9, Westmeath 2-8

19/5/1946, Cusack Park, Offaly 2-6, Westmeath 0-4

10/7/1949, Tullamore, Westmeath 2-6, Offaly 1-9 (draw)

17/7/1949, Cusack Park, Westmeath 0-8, Offaly 1-2 (replay)

11/5/1952, Cusack Park, Offaly 0-8, Westmeath 1-1

1/6/1969, Croke Park, Offaly 3-14, Westmeath 1-8

14/6/1970, Navan, Offaly 2-12, Westmeath 1-10

21/5/1981, Cusack Park, Offaly 1-14, Westmeath 1-9

11/6/1989, Tullamore, Offaly 1-8, Westmeath 1-6

25/5/1997, Tullamore, Offaly 0-8, Westmeath 0-8 (draw)

7/6/1997, Cusack Park, Offaly 1-14, Westmeath 0-7 (replay)

23/5/2004, Croke Park, Westmeath 0-11, Offaly 0-10

14/5/2006, Croke Park, Offaly 0-15, Westmeath 0-11

7/6/2008, Tullamore, Westmeath 2-11, Offaly 1-8

12/6/2016, TEG Cusack Park, Westmeath 0-13, Offaly 0-12

11/6/2017, Tullamore, Westmeath 0-10, Offaly 0-10 (draw)

17/6/2017, TEG Cusack Park, Westmeath 3-17, Offaly 0-15 (replay).