Raharney attempting to break Gaels hearts again

There’s a feast of hurling to savour this weekend as the finals of the Senior A, Senior B and Intermediate championships take place over two days.

The highlight is the battle for the Westmeath Examiner Cup on Sunday, when Raharney meet Lough Lene Gaels in a repeat of the 2023 decider. Mullingar side St Oliver Plunkett’s are bidding to go one better than last year when they meet Castlepollard in the Senior B final, while Raharney face last year’s finalists Turin in the Intermediate title decider.

The Senior A final is another massive game for the Lough Lene Gaels club, and this, their fourth successive final, is an opportunity to end a 24-year wait for senior glory. They have looked to gain an edge this year by bringing in some experienced outside coaches like Conor O’Shea, Mike Connolly and Shane McInerney, the feeling being that they are very close and just hoping to get the extra percentage from a team with a fine blend of youth and experience.

They are working alongside manager Joey Williams, who firmly believes the Gaels are ready to win a senior title and they are determined to halt the Raharney revival.

The problem for the Collinstown side is that they are running into a Raharney team with Johnny Greville, one of the best hurling coaches in the business, back at the helm. It’s incredible that Greville has been overlooked for the Westmeath position over the years, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is one of the most knowledgeable and effective operators around, and his return has only served to freshen up a strong Raharney outfit.

There was very little between the teams three years ago in the final, and since then the Gaels have suffered two further defeats on the big day against Castletown Geoghegan. Ultimately, they didn’t have enough between the white lines to win, and whether they are now a better, more mature side remains to be seen. Coaching staff are important, but the reality is that the players on the pitch and how they perform are what normally decide things on county final day.

Lough Lene Gaels withstood a fierce second-half fightback to deny Raharney earlier this year. Boosted by David Williams’ early goal, the Collinstown men held a commanding 2-10 to 0-9 lead at the break, but Raharney produced a big third quarter to get themselves back to within a point, 1-17 to 2-15, after Cormac McKeogh found the net. The Gaels, weathered the storm to reach the final. That meant Raharney had to beat reigning champions Castletown-Geoghegan in the semi-final, a result they duly delivered to set up a second clash of the season against the Gaels. And this one carries much greater significance.

It would be fantastic for Lough Lene Gaels to end their losing streak in finals, but Raharney are the fancied side on Sunday, and it will take a big performance to deny them.

Elsewhere, Castlepollard are fancied to win the Senior B title against St Oliver Plunkett’s, who are back in the final after last year’s loss against Delvin. In the Intermediate final, Raharney are favourites to topple Turin, who lost out to St Brigid’s in last year’s decider.

See this week's printed edition for full featue on next weekend's Westmeath hurling finals