Westmeath hurlers bid to bounce back against Saffrons
Channeling the frustration of their recent Division 2A league final defeat into positive preparation for the Leinster championship is the bottom line for Westmeath right now, according to captain Eoin Price.
“The biggest thing right now is to try and put it behind us,” Price said, reflecting on the hammering at the hands of Laois on April 14. “We got off to a bad start and we were on the back foot for the rest of the game. So we have to learn from that and avoid doing the same against Antrim.”
Forgetting about Laois isn’t going to be too easy for Brian Hanley’s charges. They meet Antrim in the preliminary round of the Leinster SHC next Sunday (Cusack Park, 3pm), and if they manage to repeat their memorable 2012 victory over the Saffrons, they’ll get a chance to set the record straight against Laois in the first round proper.
“We’re not looking beyond the Antrim game, but if we get through that as we did last year, it’ll be great to have that extra game under your belt,” Price said.
Westmeath look set to start the championship with a clean bill of health, with the only exception being teak-tough wing-back Philip Gilsenan, who injured his knee while playing for Brownstown recently.
Most available panellists got a useful run-out against Meath in Kinnegad on Sunday morning, with the Lake County finishing up convincing 1-19 to 1-11 winners.
A repeat of last year’s scalp against Antrim will see Westmeath through to a home meeting against Laois in Mullingar on May 18, and the winners of that tie will take on either Carlow or London in a very winnable quarter-final at the start of June.
The prize from that game is a Leinster semi-final against Leinster champions Galway on the weekend of June 15-16.