Big test for Westmeath footballers against Armagh
The contrast between the championship fixtures facing Westmeath’s two flagship teams next Saturday could scarcely be more stark.
The hurlers are first up at 1pm in TEG Cusack Park when they face Laois in the last round robin game of the Joe McDonagh Cup. Joe Fortune’s troops are thankfully free from the ignominy of tier three hurling after a convincing win (eventually!) against quite a poor Meath side three days ago, while Laois are already assured of a slot in the decider against their northern neighbours and great rivals Offaly – very much one for the diary that. There is only pride to play for in Mullingar on Saturday, and experimentation is likely in both camps. It would certainly be a boost to the home team if they could finish off a bitterly disappointing campaign with a win, or at least an uplifting performance. Fingers crossed.
Five hours later, Dessie Dolan’s footballers open their Sam Maguire Cup campaign in the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds where they played so well for so long 12 months ago in an identical opening round, only to lose to a late sucker punch goal from home team sub Conor Turbitt. Almost all of the 11,000 in attendance wore orange, and they were mightily relieved to escape with a scarcely-deserved one-point win. This scribe was utterly gutted, the nauseating ‘one-that-got-away’ feeling only surpassed by three Meath horror stories in the early noughties.
Hope springs eternal and next Saturday is a chance to banish the memory of May 27, 2023. Kieran McGeeney’s troops are fresh from their latest penalty shoot-out heartache, having blown the Ulster final against Donegal. Decent leads were surrendered in normal and extra-time before Armagh lost out in spot-kick drama – yet again.
Of course, next Saturday’s game is 70 minutes plus added-time only. Any hint of complacency which may have existed when facing ‘only Westmeath’ a year ago will be well and truly absent in the Orchard County camp. ‘Only Westmeath’ conceded a totally preventable goal in the 67th minute, and were unable to avail of a couple of decent chances to get at least a draw in a tense finale. To the losing players’ great credit, they went on to play very well in both of the other games. But that one-point loss in Armagh really hurt.
Sam entry last year had been achieved via an inaugural Tailteann Cup win in 2022. This year’s ‘golden ticket’ came via a highly laudable Division 3 success, in addition to some undoubted good fortune outside Westmeath's control since. The Lake County's luck ran out when drawn in the ‘group of death’, but the team is still alive and kicking.
Quite who will be doing the kicking in maroon and white is unclear. Sam Duncan, who excelled at midfield in the corresponding fixture last year, is away travelling, but several of his colleagues have carried injuries of various shapes and sizes throughout 2024. Hopefully the lengthy 48-day break since the unforeseen and disastrous Leinster SFC loss to unheralded Wicklow on April 7 will have enabled injuries to clear up.
However, information in this regard has always been skimpy from the Westmeath camp, prompting this reply from me to an injury update query three days ago from a friend/colleague: “I could get you the code for the safe in the White House more quickly!” Hopefully Dolan and his management team are in the happy position of picking from a full deck. If he is, Westmeath can put it up to most counties – including Armagh.
The U20 team's one-goal loss to Down in Navan last Saturday was unfortunate. Video footage since the All-Ireland ‘B’ final actually revealed a bemused Mourne County commentator querying why Jack Duncan was not awarded a late penalty. Those in the Páirc Tailteann press box were all equally baffled during live action. However, as they say, ‘dem is the breaks’!
It has been generally accepted that defender Daragh Lowry and skipper Brían Cooney in attack have been Damien Gavin’s main men in the six championship games (two ‘A’ and four ‘B’) played this year. Ironically, neither was at their very best v Down – apart from one classy point from play each – but it would be no surprise if one or both played a part in the three guaranteed Sam Maguire games between next Saturday and mid-June.
Every dog in the street knows that Father Time is catching up with a third of the Lake County’s regular side. Replacements of similar quality are thin on the ground. Very thin, in fact.
It has been a topsy-turvy year for Westmeath's senior footballers despite securing promotion to Division 2. Nobody is terribly sure what level of performance to expect in Armagh at 6pm on Saturday. We can only hope for a never-say-die display against a side who could be carrying some baggage from their latest penalty shoot-out defeat. A massive jump in the number of away fans from the measly number of diehards admirably present a year ago would certainly help.
The details of last year’s 1-13 to 1-12 loss were as follows:
Scorers – Armagh: R O’Neill 0-4 (3 frees), R Grugan 0-3 (2 frees), A Murnin 0-3, C Turbitt 1-0, S Campbell 0-2, C Mackin 0-1. Westmeath: J Heslin 0-6 (4 frees), R O’Toole 1-1, L Loughlin 0-2, S Duncan 0-1, S McCartan 0-1, D Lynch 0-1.
ARMAGH: Ethan Rafferty; James Morgan, Aaron McKay, Aidan Forker; Greg McCabe, Conor O’Neill, Jarly Óg Burns; Ben Crealy, Ciarán Mackin; Rory Grugan, Jason Duffy, Stefan Campbell; Andrew Murnin, Rian O’Neill, Aidan Nugent. Subs used: Barry McCambridge for Morgan (injured, 22 minutes), Conor Turbitt for Nugent (44), Ross McQuillan for Burns (49), Shane McPartlan for Crealy (62), Callum Cumiskey for Duffy (65).
WESTMEATH: Jason Daly; Jack Smith, Kevin Maguire, Jamie Gonoud; James Dolan, Andy McCormack, David Lynch; Sam Duncan, Ray Connellan; Sam McCartan, Ronan O’Toole, Senan Baker; Luke Loughlin, John Heslin, Stephen Smith. Subs used: Jonathan Lynam for Baker (half-time), Ronan Wallace for J Smith (46 minutes), Kieran Martin for S Smith (54), Eoin Mulvihill for Lynam (70+2).