St Joseph look to cap winning year

Clarke's Bar Junior 1 Football Final preview

St Joseph’s are in the process of putting the finishing touches to their preparations before meeting The Downs in the Westmeath Junior Football Championship final.

The south Westmeath outfit will enter the decider with a point to prove. Their challenge will be to reproduce the energy, work rate and clinical finishing that carried them through the semi-final. Winning the midfield battle, securing possession and making the most of scoring opportunities will be central to their hopes.

All they have to do is follow the template they have adhered to since they commenced this season's run.

Captain Jordan McDonnell gives a measured assessment of the campaign that sees St Joseph's returning to TEG Cusack Park to contest their third Clarke's Bar Junior 1 Football Championship final in a row. It details both highs and lows.

“A good year this year,” he starts, “we got promoted in the league, which was a good foundation before we got into the Championship. We started off well with two wins from two. We had a bump in the road, with a bad performance against Balnacarrigy.

“Since that bad game, things really took off. Kilbeggen was the next game. We had a big win there, and we probably kicked on since then. That win against Kilbeggen, it gave everyone a good bit of confidence, and we pushed on.”

A high point thus far was the superb semi-final performance against St Loman’s Mullingar, where their attacking firepower proved decisive in a 4-13 to 2-12 victory.

That four goal tally could distract from another area this side has thrived in. The orange flag has been a feature of umpire activity at Joseph's games: “We adapted to the new rules this year. We're scoring a good bit more than in previous years. That's paid off for us in the last few games,” he says.

McDonnell himself is no stranger to making the men in white earn their corn: “We've probably embraced the two-pointer a bit more this year. We've got two or three two-pointers in nearly every Championship game this year. Ben McDonald has kicked some good two-pointers from play and off the ground as well. That's a useful tool, when you have someone that's able to kick those two point frees fairly consistently.”

Another is the aforementioned ability to create and convert goal chances. Fitness and pace aids them in this area: “We do still have a young team, but most of the core team has played at least four or five years of adult football, so there's a good bit of experience there as well, while lads are still young and fit. They've played a lot of the championship games at adult level.”

On the other side of the ledger The Downs booked their place in the final with a convincing 2-17 to 3-7 victory over Kilbeggan Shamrocks. County champions at senior level the junior panel boasts players with ambitions to ascend to the top tier. They will view this final as a showcase.

This is the sort of football that the St Joseph's captain wants to play: “Playing the senior clubs teams that are predominantly made up of young lads who want to play football, it kind of suits us. To play a good attacking game where both teams go for it. Hopefully we're able to out-gun them, but I think playing high intensity attacking football suits us more than a slower game.”

Losing a final can have a significant value if it was a learning experience. Jordan believes that the lessons from 2025 have sunk in: “Last year, we were probably a bit too passive. We just waited for the game; waited for it to come to us and waited for it to happen. You just can't do that in a final. That's one thing we'll be trying to do this year is put our mark on it straight away and go for it ourselves, play our game.”

A county final brings its own pressures, but St Joseph’s have already shown they can deliver when it matters. Jordan hopes that the terraces and stands of Cusack Park will help swing matters: “There's a good buzz around the place here. Obviously, it's the third year running so everyone's well aware that these days can go wrong.

“I think everyone recognises we've been playing good football this year. There's good excitement about that. Most of our games have been high scoring and enjoyable to watch, so that adds to the enthusiasm. The crowd is definitely a big thing and with the new rules again, momentum can swing huge in games now.

“Even a 10 or 12 point lead now, you can't rest at all. So when the momentum starts going your way and you have the crowd there behind you, it's very important,” he concluded.

With the prospect of championship silverware within reach, they will be determined to seize their opportunity and reward the commitment of players, management and supporters.

The Downs will provide formidable opposition, but St Joseph’s have every reason to believe they can make their attacking strengths count on the big occasion. Throw-in on Sunday, October 25 is at 1.45pm at TEG Cusack Park.