Hoped-for gallop towards the final didn’t materialise
Analysis by Paul Hughes
Westmeath bainisteoir Frank Browne has spoken often this year about his “seven-step” championship plan for Westmeath ladies but, alas, the wheels came off at the sixth and penultimate step in a sweltering Cavan on Sunday last.
The return of the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup to Westmeath for only the third time in 25 years would have been the perfect end to an historic year for football in the Lake County. With both the men’s and women’s sides in scintillating form for their respective championships, turnstiles were kept busy with maroon-clad patrons all summer, and Breffni Park on Sunday was no exception, with a sizeable Westmeath presence occupying the main stand.
Expectations were high following the quarter-final against Wexford and, perhaps, more so after the All-Ireland series opener against Monaghan in June, when the Maroons looked a far fitter and more ruthless machine compared to the outfit that lost to the Farney women, Tyrone and Tipperary in the league earlier this year.
Defensively, they kept the Ulsterwomen to just three scores from frees, and with marquee forwards Katie Kilmurray and Sarah Dillon firing on all cylinders, the visitors had no answer.
“Now we’re contenders,” Browne could rightly conclude after the Monaghan clash, and he could afford to think the same following the meeting with Wexford some weeks later, billed by many as the “real All-Ireland final”.
On that afternoon a fortnight ago, the Lake County recovered from a nightmarish opening 20 minutes in TEG Cusack Park to prevail comfortably against the very physical Slaneysiders.
However, an injury to midfielder Vicky Carr in the opening exchanges of that game cast a long shadow. The absence of the St Loman’s, Mullingar star’s athleticism and football brain was keenly felt against Roscommon on Sunday, though she kicked every ball on the sideline.
Sunday’s semi-final was arguably lost in the first half, when Westmeath racked up eight wides and missed a gilt-edged goal opportunity early on. Their shot selection wasn’t perhaps at its best but a crucial foe was the swirling breeze which, though frequently changing direction, hurt the Maroons more in that opening 30 minutes.
At the other end, Roscommon were far more economical with their possession and converted a much greater proportion of the fewer chances that came their way. Worryingly, the Rossies had blistering pace in attack and on more than one occasion, their running game had the Westmeath rearguard at sixes and sevens.
Hopes were high for the second half, with Westmeath – arguably the better side in the first half, despite their profligacy – expected to kick on with the breeze on their backs.
However, the hoped-for gallop towards the final didn’t materialise and though Roscommon had their own share of problems with accuracy, Westmeath failed to punish them accordingly. A bit of momentum counts for much in these games and the Rossies grasped it at just the right time, shutting the Maroons down with a suckerpunch of a late rally.
Ultimately, it was a disappointing end to Westmeath’s intercounty odyssey for 2026 but, with the abundance of youth on display in all sectors of this Lake County ladies side – and much more yet come – it’s surely just a stutter-step on the road to greater things.