All Star nominee O’Toole fully focused on semi-final clash with Naas
St Loman’s Mullingar produced a dominant display to overcome Longford champions Emmet Óg Killoe at Pearse Park on Sunday. Man of the match in their 1-20 to 1-10 victory was the talented Ronan O’Toole, whose first half goal put the Westmeath champions on the front foot.
“It was a great performance. We got off to a great start and we knew we needed a good start today; it’s never easy in Longford. We really put a big emphasis on the first 15 minutes and thankfully we got a few points ahead and kept driving on after that,” he observed after the final whistle.
O’Toole spoke of the winning culture in the St Loman’s club and the attitude of all involved with what is now a very experienced side.
“It’s a credit to all the players, not just the starting 15 but the lads who are coming in and those who are part of the panel. The standard at training is very good. We knew it was going to be a tough battle today and it’s gone into winter football now, so there are plenty of turnovers. We put a big emphasis on tackling and to be fair I thought that paid dividends,” he remarked.
“We are always trying to move the ball fast especially with structured defences. This time of year, it’s hard to break them down. If we can move the ball fast and create ‘one on ones’, we have good forwards there and players coming in off the bench also. We’re just going to keep working hard for the next two weeks.”
St Loman’s now face a date with Kildare champions Naas, who looked quite impressive as they put Meath’s Summerhill to the sword (2-12 to 0-8) in their quarter-final bout. Last year's Leinster finalists (and three-in-a-row Kildare SFC winners) will command respect.
Many observers have mentioned the Westmeath side as potential Leinster finalists, but O’Toole said the focus is firmly on Sunday week’s clash.
“We can’t look that far ahead; we are taking it game by game. We had a tough game against Shelmaliers (Wexford); it was a tough game today. We will just get the recovery right and look forward to the semi-final in two weeks.”
On his All Star nomination, O’Toole said it was a proud moment for him and he’s looking forward to representing Westmeath and St Loman’s Friday November 17.
“I found out three weeks ago now. I had my dad beside me, so it was a nice moment for me, for my family as well. And I’m representing the players and Westmeath,” he remarked.