Westmeath to face Offaly again in Leinster SFC

Westmeath's senior footballers will open their Leinster SFC campaign next summer with another tantalising quarter-final against rivals Offaly, this time in Tullamore.

However, Lake County Gaels won't be pleased at falling on the same side of the draw as seemingly indestructible Leinster and All-Ireland champions Dublin, who are after their seventh successive Delaney Cup win.

In June, Westmeath overcame Offaly – managed by former Lake County boss Pat Flanagan – in a fiercely contested Leinster quarter-final at TEG Cusack Park, winning 0-13 to 0-12. They went on to defeat Kildare in the semi-final, before losing out to Dublin in the decider.

However, next year, should Tom Cribbin's men get the better of Offaly again, they are likely to encounter Dublin in the semi-final, with the holders drawn to play the winners of the preliminary match between Carlow and Wexford in their quarter-final.

With Cribbin expected to blood new players in Division 4 of the Allianz NFL in the spring, it's very much back to the drawing board to explore new avenues and approaches to inflicting a rare Leinster defeat on the Dubs – that is, should they best an Offaly side hungry to take down their neighbours.

Meanwhile, Westmeath's senior hurlers could face Offaly or Wexford in a Leinster SHC quarter-final, depending on how their round robin stage goes.

Michael Ryan's men face Kerry, Carlow and Laois in the opening phase. Should they get through and face Offaly in the quarter-final, it will be a real chance for the Maroons to reach the last four.

Last year, Westmeath hammered Offaly in the group stage (2-22 to 1-11), although ultimately it was Offaly who got to a Leinster semi, beating Laois before losing out to Galway, who had eased past Westmeath in the quarter-finals. The winners of this quarter-final would go on to meet the winners of the Dublin v Galway tie.

Depending on where they finish in the round robin, Westmeath could also end up in an intriguing tie with Wexford, now under the direction of Clare legend Davy Fitzgerald. The winners of this would play holders Kilkenny in the semi-finals.

Tonight's provincial championship draws were televised on RTÉ 2, with Westmeath footballer John Heslin among the guests, and Lake County legend Dessie Dolan in the studio for analysis.

The draws are as follows:

Leinster SFC
Preliminary round: Louth v Wicklow, Laois v Longford, Carlow v Wexford
Quarter-finals: Offaly v Westmeath, LH/WW v Meath, LS/LD v Kildare, CW/WX v Dublin
Semi-finals: OY/WH v DUB/CW/WX, LH/WW/MH v LS/LD/KE

Leinster SHC
Round robin (RR) teams: Westmeath, Kerry, Laois, Meath
Quarter-finals: Galway v Dublin, RR v Offaly, RR v Wexford
Semi-finals: GAL/DUB v RR/Offaly, Kilkenny v RR/Wexford