Hectic spring beckons for Westmeath’s flagship teams
The Gerry Buckley Column
A few days ago, I was honoured to take a call from Mullingar journalism student Chris Sleator as part of his college project, and we mainly discussed the ongoing increase in the already-huge demands made on so-called amateur players in Gaelic games.
At a time when the galling choice of ‘food or heat?’ seems to be on the agenda for many people in this country (as graphically laid out by Bishop Tom Deenihan at the end of last Sunday’s 8.30am Mass in the Cathedral of Christ the King), those of us who will have both in the festive period ahead should feel privileged. However, for men and women playing Gaelic games, even tucking into food and drink later this month probably comes with a range of asterisks from team dieticians. With the release in recent days of the fixtures in the pre-season tournaments and National Leagues for January to March, the incredible demands on the modern player come sharply into focus. Indeed, for club players at the top level who only wrap(ped) up campaigns this month, it must be difficult to find time to do some pre-Christmas shopping!
Naturally enough, the Walsh Cup and O’Byrne Cup competitions will give Joe Fortune and Dessie Dolan opportunities to experiment somewhat ahead of their respective five- and seven-match campaigns in NHL Division 1A and NFL Division 3.
With the hurlers guaranteed a minimum of eight games by the end of March and the footballers ten, there will lots of opportunities for those of us who don’t have to make sacrifices in festive social activities to cheer on our heroes before the really big stuff starts, with both our flagship teams deserving great credit for ensuring we will face top-class opponents come the championship summer, please God.
Messrs Fortune and Dolan have both one away and two home matches in the first few weeks of January, with the usual ‘weather permitting’ an important footnote.
Westmeath’s three Walsh Cup fixtures for 2023 are as follows:
Sunday, January 8,
away v Galway
Saturday, January 14,
home v Antrim
Sunday, January 22,
home v Dublin
Westmeath’s three O’Byrne Cup fixtures for 2023 are as follows:
Wednesday, January 4,
away v Louth
Saturday, January 7,
home v Wexford
Wednesday, January 11,
home v Kildare
This scribe’s oft-discussed target for pre-season fare is to win at least one game and find at least one player for the more important tasks ahead. And that has not changed!
Our hurlers’ deserved success in Division 2A (after a very shaky start) has ensured five games against the cream of the small ball game in Division 1A. Again, fortune has favoured the man of that name with three of the mouth-watering quintet of matches set to take place in TEG Cusack Park. The enormity of the task facing Killian Doyle and co can be grasped with a quick look at the mini-statistics hereunder. From a total of 52 encounters, the Lake County lads have won just four – two v Limerick (the second coming in 1956 in Cusack Park when the incomparable ‘Jobber’ McGrath scored 4-4 in front of awestruck young travelling fans such as Eamonn Cregan), and two v Galway (including a totally unforeseen win in front of shocked home fans in Loughrea in 1986).
Respectability will be the target this spring, and who knows where another famous win may emanate from? It would be a sensation if a relegation play-off against the bottom side in Division 1B is avoided, but haven’t Morocco been sensational in recent weeks in Qatar?
Westmeath’s five NHL Division 1A fixtures for 2023 are as follows:
Sunday, February 5,
away v Clare, 1.45pm
(played 14, lost all 14, last played in 2011)
Sunday, February 12,
home v Wexford, 2pm
(played 7, lost all 7, last played in 2010)
Sunday, February 26,
away v Cork, 1.45pm
(played 5, lost all 5, last played in 2021)
Sunday, March 12,
home v Limerick, 2pm
(played 12, won 2, lost 10, last played in 2021)
Sunday, March 19,
home v Galway, 1.45pm
(played 14, won 2, lost 12, last played in 2021)
While our Tailteann Cup win earlier this year has already guaranteed Sam Maguire football in 2023 regardless of our Division 3 results, Westmeath’s recently-appointed bainisteoir will surely be targeting promotion to tier two for 2024. This will not be easy, as a cursory glance at Dolan’s seven opponents (four of whom must travel to Mullingar) highlights a range of ‘banana skins’.
Indeed, slips on the skins of Longford and Fermanagh in 2022 are the main reasons for another third-tier campaign in the months ahead. For Westmeath to be consistently able to compete at a decent level with the elite big ball counties, Division 2 status is absolutely imperative.
Westmeath’s seven NFL Division 3 fixtures for 2023 are as follows:
Sunday, January 29,
home v Cavan, 2pm
(played 25, won 4, drew 1, lost 20, last played in 2020)
Sunday, February 5,
away v Longford, 2pm
(played 40, won 20, drew 2, lost 18, last played in 2022)
Sunday, February 19,
home v Offaly, 2pm
(played 22, won 10, drew 0, lost 12, last played in 2019)
Saturday, February 25,
away v Down, 6pm
(played 15, won 4, drew 1, lost 10, last played in 2021)
Sunday, March 5,
home v Antrim, 2pm
(played 16, won 7, drew 1, lost 8, last played in 2022)
Saturday, March 18,
away v Fermanagh, 6pm
(played 16, won 4, drew 4, lost 8, last played in 2022)
Sunday, March 26,
home v Tipperary, 2pm
(played 10, won 6, drew 1, lost 3, last played in 2016)