Focus turns immediately to potential Wicklow ‘banana skin’
My partner is very aware of my great love of the Royle Family (the crowd in Manchester who sit in front of a Social Welfare-funded television, as distinct from a similar-sounding crowd in London whose umpteen televisions are also paid by tax-payers).
Accordingly, last Christmas she booked us in to see Jim Royle, aka Ricky Tomlinson, in a show in Dublin later this week. The much-loved ‘lazy sod’ has a famous catchphrase, and I suggest this week that the glut of games facing the Westmeath senior footballers in recent weeks would prompt the armchair-loving man in the distinctive orange/brown T-shirt to say: ‘Player welfare my a**e.’
The newly-crowned Division 3 champions – and heartiest congrats to all involved in superbly acquiring that title in Croke Park last Saturday night – are on their travels again next Sunday for the fourth weekend in a row. This time it is to Portlaoise for a Delaney Cup opener against Wicklow.
Dessie Dolan’s men will be hot favourites to advance, having defeated the Garden County in their recent third tier clash in Aughrim (albeit those of us present know it was far from a straightforward victory), as well as generally occupying a higher national profile than the men in blue and gold this millennium.
Frankly, many (all?) of us leaving Markievicz Park nine days ago were concerned about both the Down and Wicklow games. Throw in the U20s being totally outplayed by Dublin two days later, and the minors blowing a game v Louth the following night, and a shot in the arm was undoubtedly needed. Great credit is therefore due to the senior men in maroon and white for the huge improvement shown just six days later in Croke Park. Jonathan Lynam followed up his recognition in the Sigerson Cup team of 2024 with his most important display yet for the county. Truly, The Downs man’s brace of well-taken goals – one in either half – were match-winning scores.
Reflecting on the eight matches played in February and March – it really is a crazy schedule – to emerge as Division 3 champions given the huge and ongoing injury list is a tremendous achievement. It is less than two years since Westmeath became the inaugural winners of the Tailteann Cup in fine style. Six of our lads made the team of the year, and only two of them – Ronan O’Toole (who had an extremely rare off-day with his scoring attempts) and his club colleague Sam McCartan (who, one rushed goal attempt apart, was quite superb three nights ago) – played against Down; John Heslin’s three-minute cameo is ignored for the purpose of this exercise.
The other three award-winners, Kevin Maguire, Jack Smith and Ronan Wallace, all missed the full game, with the track-suited Caulry man thankfully okay to receive the cup from Jarlath Burns after the game. His achievement in lifting two national senior cups in GAA headquarters may last a while for a Westmeath footballer. But let’s hope it doesn’t end there! The management have had to endure a torrid time with injuries and there is never the slightest surprise among the consistently good-sized Westmeath following when their pens are out to change names on the match programme prior to throw-in.
A slot in the Sam Maguire Cup, in which the Lake County performed with enormous distinction last year, is now distinctly closer after last Saturday’s win, albeit far from nailed down. Some urgent twigging is needed in this regard by the powers that be, as surely winning the third tier should have a definite prize of Sam inclusion?
However, the only definite fixture for Dolan’s heroic troops is next Sunday in Portlaoise (throw-in 3.30pm). Westmeath out-supported their hosts in Aughrim recently and will probably do so again next Sunday. However, Oisín McConville is nobody’s fool and he will have his charges primed to cause a shock. A couple of missed goal chances early in the second half of the aforementioned game cost the home team dearly. We can’t be depending on such good fortune this time round. Championship is a completely different ball game, and those of us who left Páirc Chiaráin on a scorching hot day in 1995 with our maroon tails between our legs will not need reminding of the potential banana skin which awaits.
Will Jim Royle be even more grumpy about Westmeath’s player welfare next Sunday at approx. 5pm in Laois Hire O’Moore Park with a Leinster quarter-final scheduled the following Sunday against Kildare (waiting in the long grass after a raft of criticism during and after a dire and pointless Division 2 campaign)? Let’s hope so, but any hint of complacency could be fatal (as Division 1 winners Laois famously found out against the proud Garden County back in 1986).
Westmeath v Wicklow, previous meetings in Leinster SFC
1/5/1955, Newbridge, Westmeath 0-7 Wicklow 0-6
12/5/1982, Newbridge, Westmeath 1-8 Wicklow 0-11 (draw)
6/6/1982, Croke Park, Westmeath 3-7 Wicklow 2-5
25/5/1986, Aughrim, Wicklow 0-15 Westmeath 1-5
21/5/1995, Athlone, Wicklow 0-9 Westmeath 0-3
14/6/2009, Tullamore, Westmeath 0-16 Wicklow 1-10
6/6/2010, Tullamore, Westmeath 0-15 Wicklow 1-11