Downs and Coralstown/Kinnegad a big threat to St Loman’s
Shay Murtagh Westmeath SFC preview
The battle for the Paddy Flanagan Cup gets underway at the weekend as defending champions St Loman’s, Mullingar put their senior football title on the line.
In what looks a very competitive championship, there are some serious contenders who can challenge the Mullingar side for honours this year, including The Downs and Coralstown/Kinnegad, while down south, Garrycastle, who reached the Division 1 league final recently, and Athlone will feel they can test the leading teams from the north of the county. It’s a fascinating backdrop to the campaign that lies ahead.
Coralstown/Kinnegad captured the Division 1 league title recently and are in decent form ahead of this year’s campaign. Jack Cooney leads a well-balanced team into battle and there is a solid mix of youth and experience there. It’s the same for their neighbours, The Downs, who were rather cruelly denied last year after a penalty shootout in the county final replay against St Loman’s.
Paddy Dowdall is back in charge of the defending champions and he will be keen to add another senior title to a glittering CV, and with serious quality available to him, it will take a big effort to stop the blues. That said, the absence of Ronan O’Toole is a blow, though he is likely to return for the later stages.
The St Loman’s, Mullingar team has enjoyed unprecedented success, appearing in ten consecutive finals and a number of the players involved, including talisman John Heslin, have eight senior winning medals. That level of experience will be difficult to trump.
The Downs, winners in 2022, will pose a major threat and marquee forward Luke Loughlin is capable of unhinging any defence on his day. And, just over the road, Jack Cooney would dearly love to lead the Coralstown/Kinnegad club to the Holy Grail.
Meanwhile, Mullingar Shamrocks are lively outsiders having made solid progress in the last two years, though it looks as if it’s an ongoing project in the Springfield club.
It’s also the first time that the championship will be played under the enhanced Gaelic football rules, on which clubs have had months of preparation. Teams will need to adapt and, as has been shown at inter-county level, the kickout is now crucial, while the two-pointers can change a game in a flash. It all makes for a fascinating championship season.
Here, we meet the teams, the players and the main protagonists ahead of the 2025 Senior Football Championship.
MEET THE TEAMS
Section ‘A’
St Loman’s Mullingar
Manager: Paddy Dowdall. Captain: John Heslin.
New players in: Nellie Duffy (Mayo).
Players out: Ronan O’Toole, Enda Gaffney, Conor Donoghue, Fola Ayorinde.
How they fared in 2024: Champions, denying The Downs in the replay. Leinster semi-finalists, losing out to St Mary's, Ardee.
The Downs
Manager: Dermot Power.
Captains: Ian Martin and Luke Loughlin.
New players in: None.
Players out: None.
How they fared in 2024: Defeated in the county final on penalties after a replay and extra-time.
Mullingar Shamrocks
Manager: Micheál Burke, with coaches Liam O’Reilly, Donal O’Donoghue and Joe Kenny.
Captain: Denis Corroon.
New players in: None.
Players out: Matt O’Shea.
How they fared in 2024: Quarter-Finalists, losing to Tyrrellspass, having topped Section ‘B’, winning five games.
Tyrrellspass
Manager: Ger Egan.
Captain: Joe Hyland.
New players in: Dean McNicholas returns and Neale Pearson is up from minor.
Players out: None.
How they fared in 2024: Beaten semi-finalists.
Coralstown/Kinnegad
Manager: Jack Cooney.
Captain: Darren Giles.
New players in: Conor Callaghan.
Players out: Josh Gahan, Jack Torpey, James Maxwell.
How they fared in 2024: Semi-finalists, losing to The Downs.
Athlone
Manager: Eoin Jordan
Captain: Shane Allen. Vice-captain: Michael Byrne.
New players in: Kian Mitchell (returns Menlough in Galway), Cathal Hardiman. Cillian Geary and Luke Nicholson have stepped up from last year’s minor team.
Players out: Benny Martin, Matty Darling and Stephen Flaherty.
How they fared in 2024: Reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to The Downs after extra-time.
Section ‘B’
Killucan
Management: Conor Jordan and Frank Boyle.
Captain: Cormac Boyle.
New players in: Young players Adam Smyth, David Weir, Winston Larkin, Eoin Briody, Conor Leech, Calum McKeogh, Matt Shaw and Shane O’Malley will all be vying for senior championship action after playing key roles in this year’s Division 2 league triumph.
Players out: Robbie Greville, Gary Greville, Ciaran Doyle, Jason Gorman and Lorcan Treanor.
How they fared in 2024: Didn’t progress to the knockout stages.
Caulry
Manager: Pat Flanagan.
Captain: Kevin Maguire.
New players in: Cormac Murphy, Kyle Rainey, Aaron Murphy, Cody Parker, David Gaynor.
Players out: Emmet Nally, Aaron Roarke, Sean Fox, Ben Moran.
How they fared in 2024: Finished bottom of Section A, with their only win coming against Tang.
Garrycastle
Manager: Gary Dolan.
Captain: Jack Donohue.
New players in: Anthony Mannion, Killian Keegan, Nathan McKeown, David Carter.
Players out: None.
How they fared in 2024: Won the intermediate championship. Leinster semi-finalists, where they lost to Naomh Mearnóg of Dublin in unlucky and controversial circumstances.
St Malachy’s
Manager: Tom Browne.
Captain: Liam Varley.
New players in: Adam Cassidy
Players out: David Lynch, Aonghus Clarke and Niall O’Brien.
How they fared in 2024: Finished fourth in Section B and comfortably avoided the threat of relegation.
Moate All Whites
Manager: Val Daly, with selectors/coaches, Ger Heavin, Paddy O'Connor, David McCarthy.
Captain: Andrew Gorman.
Players in/out: No major changes, but Ronan Muray, Aodhan Curran, James Mitchell, Hagan Niall and Darragh Delaney will play more prominent roles following last year's U20 success.
How they fared in 2024: Finished joint bottom of Section 'B' after one victory (against Killucan). Defeated Shandonagh in the relegation play-off, having lost to the same opponents in the round robin phase.
Tang
Manager: Stephen Coy.
Captain: Jason Coughlan. Vice-Captain: Shane Keenan.
Players in/out: No new players in. Shane Coughlan, Adam Neary and Ian Coughlan (travelling); Robert English and Kieran Duncan (retired); Conor Marlowe (abroad on work commitments).
How they fared in 2024: Finished fifth in Section A which meant they didn't qualify for the knockout stages and are demoted to Section B for this year. That said, they were very close to qualifying, drawing with Athlone in their last group game when even a one-point win would have been enough to progress.