Big guns collide again as Big guns collide again as

There has been a lot of talk in recent years about 'the team of the decade' in Gaelic football at national level in relation to Kerry and Tyrone. It could be argued that the whole notion of a team of the decade is a dubious exercise - after all, there are no prizes handed out for it and it's probably just an interesting debate for the barstool. But if one was to debate the team of the decade in Westmeath club football, Garrycastle and Tyrrellspass would surely be the front-runners. Garrycastle have won three titles this decade - 2001, 2002 and 2004 - and have been defeated in two finals, 2005 and 2008. In terms of actual titles garnered, the case for Garrycastle is strong. Tyrrellspass have won two titles this decade (2006 and 2007) and therefore, in common with Garrycastle, they have put titles back-to-back. The tidy town side also reached two other county finals this decade in 2000 and 2001, when they were defeated by Garrycastle. While Tyrrellspass haven't won as many titles or reached as many finals as Garrycastle - though that could yet change this year - their performances in the Leinster club championship strengthens their case considerably. In 2007, they became the first Westmeath club to reach a Leinster senior final since the early 1970s and while they were defeated by eventual All-Ireland champions St Vincent's in the decider, it was a very noteworthy achievement. Indeed, in the previous year, they came extremely close to reaching the Leinster final, narrowly losing in the semi-final to Moorefield, who went on to win the provincial crown. No Westmeath club has performed so well in Leinster football this decade. The Downs have also won two titles this decade (2003 and 2005). In the eyes of many observers, however, the first of those titles was somewhat overshadowed by the fact a number of clubs were weakened by players leaving for the US in the wake of Westmeath's championship exit. Castledaly consistency is worthy of consideration too - they reached four finals (2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008), eventually winning their first senior title last year. They came very close to winning the championship in 2004, losing narrowly to Garrycastle, while they lost the 2006 final to Tyrrellspass after a replay. However, in terms of success and overall impact this decade, Garrycastle and Tyrrellspass have been the two leading sides. Many observers probably see Sunday's semi-final as almost 'the real final' in that the winner will be expected to go on and lift the Flanagan Cup. The three other sides left in the running will be hoping to upset the apple cart. Mullingar Shamrocks and St Loman's, Mullingar, meet in the quarter-final replay on Sunday, with Coralstown/Kinnegad awaiting the winners in the semi-finals. Coralstown/Kinnegad are seen by many as the most likely team to prevent the winners of the Garrycastle v Tyrrellspass clash from going all the way. Interestingly, Colm Coyle's side defeated Tyrrellspass in the group stages which meant they went straight through to the semi-finals, while Laz Molloy's men had to face Maryland in the quarter-finals. Maryland got off to a great start in that quarter-final, but eventually the experience, physical strength and guile of Tyrrellspass proved too much. Garrycastle are unbeaten in this year's championship and qualified for the semi-finals as group winners. The only match they didn't win was against Mullingar Shamrocks, a game which finished in a draw, and in their last championship outing, they defeated Castledaly in a repeat of last year's county final. There are so many quality players on both sides that Sunday's game has the ingredients to be a cracker. One just hopes the weatherman is in benign form for once this year. In Dessie Dolan, Garrycastle can boast Westmeath's most consistently excellent and valuable player over the last decade. For their part, Tyrrellspass will one again look to Martin Flanagan, arguably the most talented Westmeath player of his generation, and Denis Glennon, who is possibly the best player in the county at present. In addition to such well-known figures, there are plenty of other good players on both teams. Gary Dolan seems to be relishing the role of Garrycastle captain and his form has shown a major improvement on last year. Two of Garrycastle's younger brigade, Shane Mulvihill and James Dolan, were very impressive against Castledaly and Garrycastle manager Anthony Cunningham will be looking for more of the same. Paddy Mulvihill has been out of action all season due to a work-related injury and his absence reduces Garrycastle's firepower, while David O'Shaughnessy suffered an injury setback a few weeks ago and is rated doubtful for Sunday's game. The tenacious Tyrrellspass defence may not always get the plaudits of some of their more celebrated performers, but players like Barry Murphy, Terence O'Brien, Philip Sheridan and Shane Arthur have played a huge role in their recent success. Tyrrellspass were knocked out of last year's championship at the semi-final stage, losing to eventual winners Castledaly in a replay, and they will be keen to go one better this year. For their part, Garrycastle will be determined to lift the Flanagan Cup again, having lost two finals since their last success. So which team will progress to the last county final of the decade? Sunday's semi-final is very hard to call but the absence of Paddy Mulvihill and with the doubt over David O'Shaughnessy, Tyrrellspass might just shade it.