‘It was written in the stars’ - Loughlin delights in proud victory

Joint captain Luke Loughlin could hardly hide his relief and pride after The Downs claimed their 11th Westmeath senior football title, defeating neighbours Coralstown/Kinnegad by 4-12 to 1-15 in an intriguing final at TEG Cusack Park.

The Black and Ambers were pushed hard by their neighbours in what was the first meeting of the sides in a senior football final, but they always came up with the answers.

Reflecting on a tense contest in difficult conditions, Loughlin said The Downs had to battle for everything, both to establish their first-half advantage and to withstand Kinnegad’s charge after the break.

“I think there were four points in it maybe in the 27th minute of the second half and I said, ‘these are gonna kick a few two-pointers now’. I felt beforehand it was going to take a good side to stop them. People were coming in saying we were favourites: I don’t think there were too many saying that today. There wasn’t much between the teams throughout the game," he observed.

“We were lucky we got the goal there at the end, and that was probably it. But I think we deserved that goal. This year was definitely ours; we put it in. And I think it was written in the stars for us.”

The emotion was clear as Loughlin spoke afterwards, describing the sense of pressure and expectation surrounding the club after recent successes.

“I’m the most relieved man in Cusack Park, I tell you that,” he smiled. “As relieved as everyone is, I’m definitely more relieved. I’m lucky. I work in the GAA and I love it, but everywhere I went people were saying, ‘oh, The Downs are going to win the championship’.

“It’s hard not to let that noise in on you, because you’re hearing it everywhere. You have to try not to let it in all the time. But I’m the most relieved man in Mullingar.”

The heavy rain made conditions extremely difficult, and Loughlin acknowledged that the game became a test of resilience rather than finesse.

“They were very hard conditions, and you’ve seen probably the benefits of having free-takers. They had Ger (Leech) and Darren (Giles) kicking two-pointers. And we got a few in the first half as well, the long two-pointers with the wind,” he said. “But there wasn’t much stylish attacking football today. It was just the running game, and whoever put the head in the most amount of times came out on top. It was a dogfight, and luckily enough we came out on top.”

For Loughlin, the triumph carried both personal and collective significance; a reflection of how far both he and his club have come in recent years.

“Just personally, the last time we won it was significant to me because I felt like in my own life it was when people really started to believe that I had changed my life. That was special; to be able to do something for the club that hadn’t been done in a long time.

“Now, it’s a sign of where we’re at as a team. It’s a bit different; maybe not as sentimental, but just as sweet. It shows where we’re at as a club and the amount of talent we have," he remarked.

Loughlin and his colleagues will be aiming to build on Sunday's success and he indicated after he accepted the Paddy Flanagan Cup, along with Ian Martin, that The Downs are ready to make a serious effort in the upcoming Leinster Club championship.

"People are saying we have a good chance. Now we'll go and either prove them right or prove them wrong," he said.