A mixed year for Westmeath as a difficult 2025 awaits

By Gerry Buckley

A Division 3 National Football League title won in Croke Park, and at the expense of five-time Sam Maguire recipients Down for good measure, was the highlight of the year which has just ended for Westmeath GAA fans. But slightly disappointing hurling results and generally poor underage displays in both codes is a worry after a quarter of the 21st century which started so promisingly in the latter regard.

Both of Westmeath's flagship teams have new bainisteoirs at the helm in 2025, with Dermot McCabe and Seoirse Bulfin replacing Dessie Dolan and Joe Fortune in football and hurling respectively. The two men replaced had mixed reigns, all of Dolan’s six games in the Sam Maguire Cup being very respectable, but he was still devoid of a Leinster SFC win on his CV (the loss to Wicklow still hurts).

Fortune will forever be associated with his troops’ sensational Leinster SHC win against his native Wexford in 2023, but the defeat to Kerry in the 2024 Joe McDonagh Cup opener was a fatal blow to hopes of reaching a tier two championship final.

I would be a hypocrite (I’ve lots of faults, but hypocrisy is not one of them!) if I said that news of the appointments of Messrs McCabe and Bulfin got my pulses racing, with neither of them really proven on the inter-county front. However, the indicators to date are the Cavan and Limerick natives are not lacking enthusiasm, and are very much stuck in to their new roles.

McCabe will be short of the services of a few marvellous servants to the maroon and white cause, and the opening league game against Louth on Sunday, January 26 already looks like a must-win fixture (as we all try to digest the Jim Gavin-driven new rules on day one). It’s Newbridge, not nowhere, in the championship and a win against what looks like an ordinary Kildare side (fresh from Division 3) will be an undoubted aim.

Bulfin will face a tough league campaign, but a more manageable one than in recent years, and at least a Joe McDonagh final slot will surely be a target.

It gets monotonous having an annual whinge about the lack of meaningful underage progress. I would just love to be able to write a chirpy reflection on underage progress in 2025 in 12 months’ time, please God.

So here we go again, a personal stab at inter-county highs and lows for Westmeath Gaelic games in 2024. It seems that not everybody approves of the ‘lows’ being dragged up, but no offence is ever intended.

Senior Footballer of the Year: Sam McCartan (St Loman’s, Mullingar). For club and county, this versatile grandson of Sean Purcell seldom fails to excel. Indeed, finding his best position will be a key to progress under the new Lake County management. He looks nailed on to be a future captain, and that could be quite soon.

Senior Hurler of the Year: David O’Reilly (Castletown-Geoghegan). An outstanding forward in the small ball game – and no mean exponent with the big ball with Rosemount also – his early injury for his club versus Kilcormac-Killoughey was a major body blow. He seems certain to be a Westmeath regular for another decade-plus.

Most Improved Senior Footballer: Andy McCormack (Rosemount). Unfortunately, Andy has since joined the list of players who have moved overseas, as he had established himself as a definite starter under Dessie Dolan, working tirelessly and unselfishly in and around the midfield area.

Most Improved Senior Hurler: David Williams (Lough Lene Gaels). I had national scribes on to me big-time after his 2-12 haul against Tipperary in Semple Stadium, all wanting the low-down on the Collinstown lad. A real talent and consistently accurate from open play and placed balls.

Young Footballer of the Year: Daragh Lowry (Moate All Whites). A dynamic wing back or centre half back whose long forays goalward excite spectators and strike fear into the heart of opposition defences. His recent U20 championship success was well deserved. He will surely become a Westmeath senior regular soon.

Young Hurler of the Year: Peter Clarke (Castletown-Geoghegan). The all-action midfielder is always good for a few points from play in virtually every game he plays. He looks set to be another in a lengthy list of players with the famous ‘Clarke’ surname to serve club and county to great effect.

Best Senior Football Performance: Defeating Down in a senior football match at any stage is noteworthy, but doing so in a league final (Division 3, or otherwise) in Croke Park is an outstanding achievement, especially with a Sam Maguire Cup slot as the prize. And, again, Westmeath performed admirably with the ‘big boys’ in the latter.

Most Disappointing Senior Football Performance: I have long argued that Westmeath fans can’t afford to ever look down on any opponent - and in either code at that - but there was a nationwide expectancy that the Lake County men would comfortably overcome Wicklow in the Leinster SFC first round. But they didn’t!

Best Senior Hurling Performance: Yes, there were a couple of decent ‘moral victories’ in the top tier of the league, but a rare win against Laois to round off the Joe McDonagh Cup campaign was very welcome (even if the O’Moore County men might have had one eye on the upcoming final on the day).

Most Disappointing Senior Hurling Performance: Losing your first game in a round robin format, particularly at home, is always a bitter disappointment, and Kerry – not the first time – proved to be party-poopers in Mullingar in April. It was an uphill struggle from that day onwards.

Best Underage Football Performance: There was a distinct – and worrying – shortage of quality championship ‘proper’ displays at minor and U20 levels, but some ‘B’, and even ‘C’, performances gave a little hope, with perhaps the pick of these the Andrew Corden final win against Longford, driven by a Brían Cooney hat-trick.

Most Disappointing Underage Football Performance: Unfortunately, no shortage of contenders in this category, with the heavy defeat at the hands of Meath in the U20 championship in Ashbourne a stark reminder of the work that is needed to progress players from that grade to senior.

Best Underage Hurling Performance: An outstanding display by the minor hurlers saw them annihilate Meath in Navan by 28 points, a far cry from many close shaves – and, indeed, defeats – at the hands of the Royal County in the same competition in recent years.

Most Disappointing Underage Hurling Performance: Yours truly is a very small gambler and rarely backs Westmeath. One such flutter led to acute embarrassment as I watched the unfolding of a 17-points hammering by the Dublin U20 hurlers in TEG Cusack Park. Incidentally, it’s good to see the metropolitan manager that day, Shane O’Brien, back with the Westmeath seniors next year.

Special Merit Award: “I have only one more hurling game for you as our champions are playing the Kilkenny champions next weekend. That never ends well.” These were my precise words to the graphic designer in the final throes of completing my recent Westmeath stats book. Oh me of little faith! Castletown-Geoghegan’s magnificent win by 11 (repeat, eleven) points over Thomastown will live long in the memory. What a pity that the aforementioned David O’Reilly got injured so early in the ensuing semi-final.