Bulfin pleased with level of Westmeath display
By Gerry Buckley
Speaking after Sunday's game, Westmeath senior hurling manager Seoirse Bulfin expressed his satisfaction with his side's overall display, despite the result.
The manager garnered a lot of positives from his team’s display against Dublin in TEG Cusack Park despite remaining pointless after two games in the National Hurling League Division 1B. They face Laois on Sunday (2.30pm, TEG Cusack Park) in a crucial game.
Bulfin's initial post-match thoughts were: “It was a tremendous performance by the players after the disappointment of last Sunday in Belfast. That wasn’t good enough, even though Antrim had the advantage of having had a game played. We now have to get ready for a massive game against Laois next Sunday.”
He continued, as follows: “Who knows, if we had taken a few more chances and their goalie hadn’t made a wonder save near the end, it could have been very different.
“We missed four or five frees and ‘65’s that we would normally have got.
“Jack (Gillen) went for a goal from a free and it was saved, but we said we’d have a crack at it and you’re better off dying not wondering. It wasn’t an easy day for free-takers with a swirling breeze out there. That’s sport.”
“We fought back well when they looked to be pulling away. You’d have to be delighted the way the lads stuck at it for the whole game. I’d be very, very happy with the nature of the performance. The level of effort and the work rate was absolutely phenomenal. The lads had got a few bad beatings from Dublin last year, so it was psychologically important to avoid that. Their goal was crucial in the end and it was one of the few times they got in on goal," he remarked.
Given the ‘must-win’ status of next Sunday’s home game, Bulfin was understandably delighted to have been able to call on some established players for brief cameos last Sunday. In this regard, he opined: “David O’Reilly has worked very hard after picking up that nasty shoulder injury for Castletown-Geoghegan. Davy Glennon and Niall O’Brien – these lads are coming back and we’re trying to get game time into those legs. But it was the work rate and attitude of everybody who started and came on that was brilliant.”
The bainisteoir concluded with an update on player availability ahead of the visit of the O’Moore County: “Both teams need a win next Sunday, and while there is a bigger game down the line against Laois in the Joe McDonagh Cup, the only game that matters is next Sunday. We need to get up to today’s level of performance again for it. We’re hopeful that ‘Jogger’ Doyle (potential concussion) and Robbie Greville (groin) will be okay for the game. Killian Doyle is back in the country after his travels, but he won’t be in the mix for a little while yet.”