‘We need to find our best performance yet’ - Flanagan
Shay Murtagh Precast Westmeath SFC Final preview
The battle for breaking ball around midfield could be crucial when St Loman’s and The Downs meet in Sunday’s Westmeath senior football final, with Seán Flanagan determined to see his side make the most of their two-point threat.
The St Loman’s captain believes the battle for possession in the middle third is crucial in the modern game, particularly against a Downs side he expects to be relentless around the breaking ball.
“Everything revolves around the breaking ball in midfield, so we’ll have to definitely look into that a little bit more," noted Flanagan.
“It was 50-50 in the semi-final; The Downs are not going to give a 50-50 ball away. We need to be on top of our game and get the numbers around the breaks, hopefully win that midfield battle and then get our two-pointers. But hopefully poach a few goals as well, building on the last day, because it keeps them honest. If we’re a two-pointer threat, they’re going to push out to us.”
Loman’s found their attacking rhythm in the second half of that semi-final against Coralstown/Kinnegad, and Flanagan is hoping they can carry that form into the biggest game of their season.
“We can’t wait - especially after missing the final last year. We’re all buzzing for it. It’s where you want to be at the start of the year, and we’re here now, so hopefully we’ll go and win it," he enthused.
It has been a difficult road to the final, however, with St Loman’s slow to find their feet during the championship and forced to battle through a series of drawn games.
“Definitely. It didn’t click for a while there. It's difficult, especially when the county lads come back, because they’re not used to playing with us. So when they do get integrated, it takes a little while for us to get used to playing with each other, I suppose. But we had a good game against Kinnegad the last day; we got over the line against Tubberclair in the quarter-final, so we just kept going from there,” observed Flanagan.
There is a real sense of relief within the St Loman’s camp after finally producing the kind of performance they had been searching for, but Flanagan knows they cannot afford to get carried away.
“We had a lot of draws this year, and it felt like nearly losses in a kind of way. We didn’t really get the performance we wanted to get this year until probably the second half of that Kinnegad game. We’re happy the way it ended, but it’s important we don’t get ahead of ourselves as well, because The Downs are not going to be easy," he remarked.
The group game against Coralstown/Kinnegad was an example of his side's refusal to give up. Nine points down, they found a way to eke out a result.
“We turned the game around, and we just went all out. We let the shackles off, and we got the result we needed, and we were happy enough," he recalled.
Flanagan knows they will need to dig really deep on Sunday: “We’re just going to have to put in the best performance of the year, and hopefully we’ll get that.”
Flanagan has also found a rich vein of form at exactly the right time, scoring twice in the semi-final. It is a welcome change for a player who admits his own performances had not been where he wanted them earlier in the year.
“I probably needed that; I wasn’t performing well at all this year, to be honest. The last two games, I just said, I’ll go out, just enjoy it and see what I can do. The two goals were probably handed to me, to be honest! I didn’t have to do much work. But when I did get the ball, I was just going to bury it in the back of the net," he revealed.
“I’m not the most high-scoring person on the team - we have John Heslin and Sam McCartan, they’re the experts at that. So I usually just give the ball off to them and let them do it. But thankfully, the ball fell my way. I was just happy to get them,” he added.
There is also a sense that St Loman’s have been driven by the disappointment of last year, when they failed to reach the county final for the first time in Flanagan’s involvement with the senior set-up.
The midfielder has not lost the belief that St Loman’s can win the championship.
“I always say at the start of the year, I believe we’re going to win the championship. You have to do that. So, I don’t think much has changed. We just stuck to the game plan, what we know we can do, and just kept chipping away," he said.
There is an added personal motivation for the St Loman’s captain on Sunday as he bids to lift the Paddy Flanagan Cup, named in honour of his grandfather, former county secretary and PRO, who died in 2022.
“It’s a dream,” he admitted. “Since I was young, playing under eights here. Obviously he passed away in 2022. And I remember that very vividly. My dad was going to hand over the cup to the winners and he was buzzing, he was like, ‘I can’t wait’. Unfortunately, I didn’t get out for that game because I was part of the cadetship in the army at the time. That really hurt.
“The fact that I’m captain, I wish my granddad was around to see it. And hopefully I can lift this trophy in his honour. But I know it’s going to be hard work to do that,” he added.
Flanagan accepts that St Loman’s go into Sunday’s final as underdogs, a role he believes can provide extra motivation.
The two sides have been closely matched in recent years, but he feels The Downs have continued to improve, particularly as more of their players have made their mark with Westmeath.
Two-pointers are likely to be another major factor, particularly if St Loman’s can establish themselves around midfield. Flanagan also wants his side to build on the goal chances they created against Kinnegad.
“Mark Tunney was unlucky not to find the back net; he could have put it over the bar as well. That was his debut, so maybe there were nerves. But the fact that I scored goals might give him encouragement! And Shane Dempsey too. Hopefully we can rattle the net a few more times in the county final, because goals do win games and we’ll definitely need them against The Downs,” remarked Flanagan.
The team captain knows exactly what it is going to take to dethrone The Downs: “We’re just going to have to put in the best performance of the year,” he added.
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Flashback to 2024 final - St Loman's claim penalty shootout victory
A Shane Dempsey goal gave St Loman's, Mullingar a 1-5 to 0-5 lead at half-time in the 2024 Westmeath SFC final, but The Downs produced a fine second half display to earn a draw and force extra-time.
Luke Loughlin's penalty goal proved a crucial score as the teams finished level (1-10 apiece) at the end of normal time and in extra-time, they still could not be separated. An Ian Martin goal ensured The Downs led at the midway stage of extra-time, but it ended all square. In the penalty shootout, Sam McCartan, Ronan O'Toole and John Heslin each found the net, while goalkeeper Jason Daly made some telling saves as The Downs were denied.
St Loman’s, Mullingar: Jason Daly; David Whelan, Darragh O’Keeffe, Oisin Hogan; Kelvin Reilly (0-2), Eoghan Hogan, Sam McCartan (0-1); Jack Geoghegan (0-1), Fola Ayorinde (0-1, mark); Rory Sheahan, Ronan O’Toole (0-2), Sean Flanagan (0-1); Danny McCartan (0-1), John Heslin (0-5, five frees), Shane Dempsey (1-0).
Subs: TJ Cox (0-1) for Dempsey (inj., 38), Kevin Regan for Sheahan (45), Enda Gaffney for Ayorinde (51), Peter Foy for D McCartan (e/t, 5), Nathan Lally for O Hogan (e/t, 10), Danny McCartan for Geoghegan (e/t, 20).
The Downs: Trevor Martin; Peter Murray, Charlie Drumm, Eanna Burke; Joe Moran, Ciaran Nolan, Oisin Murphy; Jonathan Lynam, Conor Coughlan; Ian Martin (1-2), Andrew Kilmartin (0-1), Kevin O’Sullivan (0-1); Luke Loughlin (1-5, 1-0 pen; one free; one '45'), Niall Mitchell (0-1, free), Padraig Martin (0-1).
Subs: Oisin Loughlin for Coughlan (inj., 13), Andrew Shaw for Murray (40), Matthew Cunningham (0-1) for P Martin (54), Danny O’Callaghan for Murphy (60+1), O Murphy for Moran (e/t, 5).
Ref: Barry Pierce (St Mary’s, Rochfortbridge).