Forget the negative nonsense: Tailteann Cup is worth winning

Twenty-five: that's the number of All-Ireland senior football titles the counties in this year's Tailteann Cup have won between them.

Cavan, Down and Wexford (eliminated from the Tailteann Cup after last Sunday's narrow defeat to Offaly) lead the way with five titles each.

It's true that many of these All-Ireland wins are from the dim and distant past - for example, the last time Wexford were champions was in 1918. But Down contested the All-Ireland final as recently as 2010 and last lifted the Sam Maguire Cup in 1994.

And it's worth remembering that Cavan - the Tailteann Cup favourites in the eyes of many, including the bookies - were Ulster champions just two years ago.

In the history of the GAA, Westmeath have won just one piece of football championship silverware at senior level - the famous Leinster title of 2004 under the guidance of Páidí Ó Sé.

So Westmeath supporters are certainly in no position to look down on the Tailteann Cup, and it's galling to hear some Lake County fans being dismissive towards the competition.

Yes, it's admirable to have ambition to perform at the highest level possible, but a dose of realism is also required.

Westmeath had seven games to earn promotion from Division 3 of the Allianz Football League this year which would have seen them go into the All-Ireland qualifiers instead of the Tailteann Cup. But they were unable to do so as defeats to Louth and Longford and a draw at home to Fermanagh proved costly.

It would be great to see players who have given wonderful service to Westmeath - such as Kevin Maguire, James Dolan, Ger Egan, Kieran Martin and John Heslin - being part of a team who claims championship silverware in Croke Park, even if it's the second tier competition.

In addition, winning the Tailteann Cup would offer encouragement to the young players in the panel and those who may be invited onto the panel in the coming years.

In any case, the time to criticise the concept of the Tailteann Cup was when the debate over its introduction was taking place. Westmeath County Board actually voted for its introduction.

Speaking on RTE Radio last weekend, former Mayo footballer John Casey made some interesting points about how teams used the old All-Ireland Senior 'B' and Tommy Murphy Cup competitions as a springboard for greater things. For example, Clare won the All-Ireland 'B' title in 1991 and, a year later, they famously beat Kerry in the Munster final.

It's more difficult to make a breakthrough these days as the gap in resources between the elite counties and the rest is far more marked, but that doesn't mean counties like Westmeath should simply wave the white flag.

Taking the Tailteann Cup seriously - and dare we say, winning it outright- certainly won't prevent Westmeath from winning matches in next year's league or Leinster championship campaigns.

Almost every adult GAA competition is graded - inter-county football stands out as an exception. The hurling championship is divided into five tiers. Club championships in every county are graded into senior, intermediate and junior levels, and in some counties there are even more grades. The Tailteann Cup still allows teams to compete in their provincial championships so the demarcation is not as clear as in hurling.

Last year, people understandably stressed the importance of the Westmeath hurlers winning the Joe McDonagh Cup, so that they could compete in the Liam MacCarthy Cup the following year.

The format of the football championship may be different, but a similar prize is on offer for the Westmeath footballers in the Tailteann Cup as the winners will be guaranteed a place in the 2023 Sam Maguire Cup competition. Considering that Division 3 of the league looks far more competitive on paper next year than in 2022, this is a valuable prize to aim for.

To their credit, Westmeath manager Jack Cooney and team captain Kevin Maguire have sounded positive notes about the Tailteann Cup since the Leinster semi-final defeat to Kildare.

"We play football because we love it but we also play because we want silverware, we want to win," said Maguire. "It's no fun going out and losing, we’re not here to do that. This really does give us a platform, something that we can get some silverware at the end of the day, which is what it's all about."

However, one thing that the critics are dead right about is the ridiculous division into northern and southern sections until the semi-final stage.

Managers such as David Power (Tipperary), John Maughan (Offaly) and Andy Moran (Leitrim) have expressed major reservations about this aspect and justifiably so.

The argument about local rivalries and saving county boards money just doesn't wash. If there was an open draw for the first round, it would have made things far more interesting and exciting. And there is a good chance there would be some local derby meetings at some stage anyway even with no restrictions in place.

If the Tailteann Cup has any hope of prospering and overcoming the apathy of the blinkered, the north/south division must be dispensed with for next year.

Westmeath face Laois in Portlaoise today (Sunday, throw-in 2pm) and the visitors will be expected to win. Yet having had a disastrous season so far, Laois will be eager to restore pride so Cooney’s charges need to be wary.

Incidentally, Laois forward Evan O'Carroll also spoke enthusiastically about the Tailteann Cup recently.

“It is something that we have been crying out for," said O'Carroll. "You are going to go into each match with a realistic chance of winning."

The Westmeath team selected to play Laois is the same as that which started against Kildare. Many observers expected some changes and perhaps there will be alternations to the listed line-up before the action begins at MW Hire O'Moore Park. In any case, Westmeath will be hoping to be in the draw for the quarter-finals on Monday morning.

Westmeath team v Laois (Tailteann Cup): Jason Daly; Jack Smith, Kevin Maguire, David Giles; Jamie Gonoud, Ronan Wallace, Nigel Harte; Jonathan Lynam, Ray Connellan; Sam McCartan, Ronan O'Toole, David Lynch; Ger Egan, John Heslin, Alex Gardiner.