Egan looking for divine inspiration

Westmeath captain Ger Egan says Páidí Ó Sé will be among those influences in the mind, as the days tick down to Sunday’s Leinster Final at Croke Park, writes Cóilín Duffy.

Ó Sé spear-headed Westmeath’s only Leinster SFC title win back in 2004, and the recent RTÉ documentary about the Kerry native has rekindled thoughts of those glory days for Westmeath fans and supporters alike.

Egan was only 13 when the Delaney Cup was last annexed, and players such as current comrades Denis Glennon and Gary Connaughton were on hand to lift silverware.

“People have been coming up to us and saying that the win over Meath was nearly better than 2004,” Egan says.

“It just shows what getting back to a Leinster final means to people. I suppose the scenes after the game showed that.

“There was more people crying that anything. I know my father alone was like a two-year old boy. It’s great.

“It was our goal from the start of the year, once the draw was made that we wanted to meet Meath in the semi-final, and that’s no disrespect to Louth or Wexford or Meath.

“They were huge steps to take, and to create history the way we did and the way the game went - it was hard to take in.”

That semi-final win was Westmeath’s first ever Championship victory over the Royals.

“It was mentioned a lot, and that was what motivated us. We wanted to be part of it, and we wanted to be the first team ever to beat them. 

“There was no real baggage for us either. There’s a lot of young lads on that team. Not many of the panel had played Meath before, so we had nothing to lose.

“Just the way it worked out, I suppose we would be disappointed the way the first half went, but to get the result in the end and the way everyone stood up, it was a great to everyone involved.”

Inspiration from other sources isn’t something that’s been lacking in Westmeath over the last few years.

Following Mark Rohan’s exploits at the Paralympics in 2012, the leadership skills of the former Westmeath player were annexed by the squad.

Likewise Marathon man Gerry Duffy, who this year has been a key asset to the Westmeath back room team.

“Some of the stuff he has done, I don’t know how he does it,” Egan said.

“It is all the mind, and he has been telling us that you never know what you can do if you put your mind to it.

“We put our heads together and we are mentally strong, and we have shown that we have finished games strong.

“Gerry comes to you one-to-one. He’s a friendly lad. He tells you what you are doing well and what you aren’t doing well. He just tries to add experience there, he’s not trying to takeover.

“He’s just trying to do his part. He’s a very busy man as well, and he’s honoured as a proud Westmeath man. He just motivates you and stuff. That’s his job to give us motivation talks.

“His expertise and the levels he is working at. It’s certainly rubbing off on us."

Egan is hugely proud to be captain, and with manager Tom Cribbin attacking Westmeath’s leadership skills earlier in the year, Egan feels that it has been taken on board, and has taken his own leadership skills seriously as the captain of the side.

“I’m captain and it is my job to lead on and off the pitch,” he said.

“I try and do that. I wouldn’t take it that Tom pointed it straight at me. It’s everyone one of us that he needed more out of.

“He did get more out of us. Tom is a great man and everyone respects him. The stuff he has done for us so far, even if we hadn’t of beaten Meath, he would have been 100 percent proud of us of what we did achieve.

”Win or lose on Sunday we still have another game. Our new goal is to win Leinster and try to get to an All-Ireland quarter-final. It’s bonus territory and the lads are relishing it.”