Dowdall poised to succeed Kelly as St Loman’s manager

St Loman’s, Mullingar have appointed Paddy Dowdall, one of the club’s most decorated players, as their new senior football manager.

Dual player and former Westmeath hurler Dowdall succeeds Offaly man Declan Kelly, who led the Delvin Road club to back-to-back Flanagan Cup wins in 2020 and 2021, but missed out on three in a row after The Downs prevailed in a rain-soaked TEG Cusack Park in October.

Teak tough defender Dowdall started at corner back in this year’s final, and is a huge presence in the St Loman’s dressing room, but will have a different perspective in 2023 when he trades the jersey for the bainisteoir’s bib.

The Clonkill hurler holds 15 senior medals in both codes – quite likely a record in the annals of Westmeath GAA – including six senior football medals for St Loman’s (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021).

Dowdall has experience managing at underage level and was, in recent times, in charge of Clonkill’s senior camogie team.

But the St Loman’s appointment is his first foray into senior club management in Westmeath.

Meanwhile, the Lakepoint Park club has also announced that Ciaran Kilmurray – a selector during the early part of Declan Kelly’s tenure as manager – is to take charge of their senior ladies side.

Elsewhere, Garrycastle have appointed John Benton as manager of the club’s senior football team.

The appointment of Benton, who will be assisted by Darren Owens, was confirmed at a meeting of the Garrycastle GAA executive committee last week. Both Benton and Owens have plenty of experience with various teams and they will also take charge of the Garrycastle second team.

Benton has experience of the Westmeath club scene, having guided Caulry to the Westmeath intermediate football title in 2019, the Mount Temple club producing an impressive display when defeating Milltownpass in the final.

A native of Dublin, Benton has been involved with a number of St Brigid’s teams and he enjoyed Roscommon minor championship success with the Kiltoom club. He also served as a selector with the St Brigid’s U20 team (reaching the 2021 county final) and the club’s senior team.

Garrycastle last lifted the Flanagan Cup with Gary Dolan and John Keane at the helm in 2019, defeating St Loman’s, Mullingar with a dramatic comeback in the final. The same two clubs contested the 2021 decider, which St Loman’s eventually won in a relay which went to extra-time.

In 2022, Garrycastle (managed by John Donnellan) narrowly missed out on a place in the Westmeath SFC knockout stages. As a consequence, Garrycastle are set to compete in Section B of the championship next year alongside Athlone, Moate All Whites, Tang, Mullingar Shamrocks and intermediate champions Shandonagh.

Garrycastle’s first team will again compete in Division 1 of the Westmeath ACFL in 2023, while their second team will play in Division 3, having secured promotion from Division 4 earlier this year. In the 2022 Westmeath Junior 1 FC, Garrycastle reached the semi-finals where they lost out to Bunbrosna.

Benton has said that himself and Owens are looking forward to the challenge of managing Garrycastle next year, describing it was a “great opportunity, with a great club”.

Meanwhile, Moate All Whites have appointed Liam McNeill as the new manager of their senior football team, and he will be joined by fellow Roscommon man Noel Galvin.

McNeill succeeds Longford native John Twaddle, who guided Moate to Westmeath intermediate championship success in 2020, when the All Whites defeated Tang in the county final.

In Moate’s first year back up at senior level (2021), they were very unlucky not to reach the knockout stages. A contentious Caulry penalty forced a draw in their last group game which saw Moate lose out on scoring difference.

Moate’s championship form in 2022 didn’t reach the heights of last year, though they did secure promotion to Division 1 of the All County Football League along with Tyrrellspass.

Twaddle’s last game in charge was the Westmeath junior 2 football final in which Moate’s second team edged out Coralstown/Kinnegad.

“We welcome Liam and Noel to our club and wish them all best for the upcoming campaign,” Moate All Whites posted online, with the club also stating that further appointments to the backroom team will be made in due course.

Moate are set to compete in Section B of the 2023 Westmeath SFC, where they will be joined by Garrycastle, Athlone, Tang, Mullingar Shamrocks and intermediate champions Shandonagh.

It’s a case of swapping one Westmeath senior club for another for McNeill, who has been in charge of Coralstown/Kinnegad for the last few years. Under McNeill’s guidance, Coralstown/Kinnegad reached the Westmeath SFC semi-finals last year, but they were eliminated by Killucan at the quarter-final stage in 2022.

Finally, Rosemount have begun preparations for their 2023 Writech IFC campaign by appointing Galwegian Des Collins as their new manager.

Collins moved to Westmeath in the early 2000s and played football for Rosemount. He filled in as interim manager for the senior team in 2021, and in 2023 will retain current selectors Brian Lawlor and Alan ’Murph’ Mullen in his backroom team.