Heslin 'a great option' for Westmeath says Kieran Martin
News that John Heslin has returned to training and could feature on the Westmeath panel for Sunday’s Leinster final has become the big story of the week.
Heslin, 33, is one of Westmeath’s greatest ever players and the county’s all-time top scorer, having played from 2011 until the end of the 2024 season. He announced his decision to retire from the inter county game in January 2025, but has continued to impress for St Loman’s, Mullingar.
Speaking on RTE Radio 1’s Inside Sport after Westmeath qualified to play Dublin in the final, Heslin said victory over the metropolitans would represent a significant achievement for the Lake County.
"For Westmeath, having gone through the last number of years with Dublin at their peak, I think it would probably be a little bit more special to win a Leinster and beat the Dubs," he said.
"Does playing Dublin add a little bit? It probably does for the likes of myself. They were so dominant when I played them, winning Leinster for 14 seasons. It would make it a little bit sweeter if we can get across the line against the Dubs."
Heslin, alongside Kieran Martin, played a major role when Westmeath overcame Meath for the first time in their history back in 2015 at Croke Park. And eleven years' later, Martin believes the St Loman's, Mullingar star can still be an addition to Mark McHugh’s squad next Sunday.
“He is a great option to have when you’re down a couple of lads. I don’t know if it’s as true as it seems, I know he’s been back in training but there’s been numerous lads called in and out over the last few weeks,” Martin told the Irish Independent.
“There’s been a mixture of lads back in, with all the injuries that they got some U-20s were called up just to get your 15-on-15 in-house games when you have injuries.
“I suppose time will tell everything, it could be the best thing that could happen or like everything if they don’t go out and win, there will be people that’ll give out about it.”
It remains to be seen if Heslin will be included in the 26-man panel for Sunday’s final which is due to be announced later this week, but it is certainly an intriguing story ahead of the big game. As an impact sub, there is a very obvious role to play provided Westmeath can keep the game competitive and still be in contention with 20 minutes remaining.
Rosemount’s Andy McCormack has also been training with the side.
Westmeath manager Mark McHugh is dealing with a list of injuries and has done extremely well in his first season at the helm to navigate through a tough campaign that included big clashes against Meath and Kildare. Luke Loughlin (hamstring injury), is the most high profile absentee, but the likes of Johnny Lynam, Boidu Sayeh, Brian Guerin, Sam Smyth and Conor McCormack are also out, while Matthew Whittaker remains a doubt for Sunday’s final even though the two-week break will help.
Whittaker, outstanding against Meath, went off early in the semi-final against Kildare, but came back on in extra-time to play a vital role in a great Westmeath victory, just the county’s third against the Lilywhites in the Leinster senior championship.
“Matty’s been struggling the last wee while. He’s a tough cookie and he went through a lot of pain in the semi-final. We’ve given him every chance we can, but it is a bad enough injury and we have to assess where he’s at,” said McHugh.
Westmeath are appearing in only their sixth Leinster final on Sunday, while in contrast, Dublin have 63 provincial titles to their credit. The Lake County’s only success came in 2004.