Maguire return a boost for Dolan ahead of league opener

Westmeath manager Dessie Dolan agreed that the National Football League opener against Offaly in Tullamore on January 28 is very much the primary focus following Saturday’s O’Byrne Cup defeat against Longford in Pearse Park.

An experimental Lake County outfit, consisting largely of U20 players, lost by two points and they will now meet Louth in TEG Cusack Park next Saturday in the O’Byrne Shield. Precisely what team will line out next weekend has not been decided, but it may well feature some of the more experienced players as Westmeath aim to get a winning start in their bid to gain promotion from Division 3.

Dolan has been handed a boost with the news that full back Kevin Maguire will remain on for at least another season.

“We are preparing for that (Offaly) game, but every game we play we want to perform to our maximum. We have Kevin Maguire back for another year, which is a great boost. He got married in November, himself and Josie. He thinks it’s important enough to come back and we respect that,” remarked Dolan.

“Jack Smith will be back as well, so that’s important. While we are developing younger players, we still place a premium on senior players and the experience they bring. It’s about striking a balance. It’s a busy time of year with matches and preparation, but the players are working and there is good honesty in the camp. That’s important.”

The manager confirmed David Lynch remains part of the panel also. “He’s just away at the minute. I’d encourage players to take holidays at this stage of the year and they respect that. They commit to the year then, six or seven months with me and then it’s straight into club action. They don’t get holidays, so this is an ideal time for them to get a break.”

One player who won’t be part of the panel is Sam Duncan from Milltownpass.

“We have lost Sam: he sent a picture of himself on a beach in Australia yesterday! I don’t know is he coming back anytime soon! He is a gem of a guy, such a nice fella. We won’t stop players enjoying life and the door will always be open for Sam,” remarked Dolan.

Although defeat was their lot, Westmeath’s overall display gave Dolan plenty of encouragement and he feels it’s vital for the county to develop new players.

“I thought the lads did great. Myself and Damien Gavin (U20 manager) met a couple of months ago just to talk about it and this was a good opportunity for those players, with the U20 pre-season competition gone. It’s important that we can develop young players. If you look at the senior squad, the top end of it, there are a lot of lads around 30 years old, so we have to develop young players,” he said.

“People might be critical, but I thought in terms of an exercise, the young players were exceptional today and put in a great shift. And the one thing is they will learn a lot from this: giving the ball away at inter county level is just one of those things you can’t do. We probably did it too often today, but overall, they performed very well.”