Louth will be hard to break down admits Dolan
Damien Maher
Westmeath senior football boss Dessie Dolan is anticipating a massive test for his side when they begin their Leinster Senior Football Championship campaign against Louth in Páirc Tailteann, Navan next Sunday (2pm).
The quarter-final clash will be the first championship meeting of the sides since Westmeath’s 2015 victory in Drogheda and in the intervening period, the Wee County has made significant progress under former Tyrone maestro Mickey Harte, who has led them to Division 2 football following successive promotions.
Their incremental improvement makes them serious contenders to reach a Leinster final and Dolan realises his side will have to improve on their patchy league form if they are to progress to a semi-final clash against either Meath or Offaly at the end of April.
“It’s a great opportunity, the Leinster Championship this year, but we’re not looking past the challenge of Louth and we know it’s going to be a very difficult test, a very stern test. They are very stubborn in the way they play and Mickey Harte will bring a template, making them very hard to break down. We are well aware of what’s ahead,” he said.
“We are going to have to be patient and we need a consistent performance for the full 70-plus minutes. I think Westmeath are a very good team, very talented; if we get a performance for the entire game, we will be a match for anybody.”
Injury-wise, Westmeath are hoping to be at full strength, but there are a couple of players carrying niggling injuries. John Heslin played no part in the final league game against Tipperary and Jamie Gonoud has been a notable absentee for most of the league.
“We have a couple of lads carrying knocks, but we have a very good medical team and they are working hard, so hopefully they will be fit for the game,” remarked Dolan.
The 2004 Leinster medallist knows what it takes to win championship games and he’s fully aware that his side will have to produce their best form on Sunday.
“Championship is a hard learning place and mistakes will be magnified, but we just need to worry about ourselves and get our own house in order. We have had a couple of very good weeks; the players are really looking forward to it. The league was pretty frantic towards the end with five games in six weeks. We then had a break, a little bit of time to breathe and to reflect on how we got on and look at areas to improve on,” he said.
Westmeath finished in mid-table after seven league games, winning four and losing three. Dolan is acutely aware that they will need to show greater consistency in this year’s championship and regardless of the outcome next Sunday, his side will compete in the All-Ireland series for the Sam Maguire as they won last year’s inaugural Tailteann Cup.
“There were periods when we had lulls in games during the league: giving the ball away was one of our problem areas. But if you look at the championship, you need to work hard for the full 70 minutes – it’s probably nearer to 80 minutes in the modern game with the additional time,” said Dolan.
“The players have put in a massive effort and we’re hoping to put in a good performance, but we are very conscious of the Louth challenge. They have made good progress under Mickey Harte and have momentum, coming from division four, to three, to two (in the league). We know that the opposition are in a very good place and with a manager like Mickey Harte, they are going to be very well prepared.”
Having enjoyed a decent run in the Leinster U20 championship, Westmeath will be aiming to build on that and Dolan may now call on some of the emerging talent to strengthen his hand.
“We were keeping an eye on the U20s because if we won that game, all of those players would be unavailable to us as they would be preparing for a Leinster semi-final. We’re delighted to have them; they have worked hard. Brían Cooney, Sam Smyth, Danny McCartan and Senan Baker are all involved with us. Matthew Whittaker picked up that hamstring injury and that’s unfortunate because he’s a very exciting prospect. He scored five points in the game against Wexford and was starting to show real form. Sean Leech has a hamstring injury, too,” Dolan said.
The football fraternity could certainly do with a boost and victory over Louth on Sunday would certainly provide that.
“The players are in good shape, are fully focused and have plenty of experience,” added Dolan.
Hurlers to face Kilkenny
In a busy weekend, the county’s senior hurlers will travel to Nowlan Park, Kilkenny next Saturday evening (6pm) to take on the reigning Leinster champions in what is certainly a daunting assignment. Marquee forward Killian Doyle is a notable absentee with a hamstring injury, while Castletown Geoghegan's Niall O'Brien is unlikely to feature either.
Clonkill star Niall Mitchell is another on the injured list for the opening Leinster Senior Hurling Championship encounter against the Cats.