Caulry’s Malone steps down from vice chairman role

There will be minimal change in personnel on the Westmeath GAA County Committee for the year ahead, with Paddy Wallace (Multyfarnham) taking over as Vice-Chairman, replacing Donie Malone (Caulry) who is stepping aside.

Des Briody (Killucan) is nominated for Assistant Treasurer in what will be the only other alteration.

The Westmeath GAA County Convention takes place on Wednesday (tonight, 7.30pm) in the Bloomfield House Hotel, and it will be a case of familiar faces staying in charge for 2024.

Peter Collins (Lough Lene Gaels) will remain on in the key position of Coiste na nÓg Secretary. He came on board at the start of 2023 along with Mullingar Shamrocks clubman, Barry Kelly, who is chairman of the underage committee. Mr Collins oversaw more than 900 underage fixtures in what was a hectic season and had to deal with various issues in the very challenging area of discipline.

Westmeath County Committee Chairman Frank Mescall is entering his penultimate year in charge and he can reflect on a decent year for the association, but he stressed that there is a need to remain fully focused on the challenges ahead.

“It was a positive year on the financial front. The Quid Game money is not showing up in this year’s accounts, so that will boost things considerably. We are up, only about €60,000, but there is no room for complacency,” he remarked.

“There was a Sport Ireland grant (€142,000) that won’t be there next year, for example. The cost of our county teams continues to rise and it does put a strain on finances. But we’d be happy with the year, overall.”

The county’s senior footballers and hurlers made a good impact this year, he felt.

“It was a reasonably good year on the pitch, with the footballers doing really well in the All-Ireland series. The only downside was the league and failing to get promoted,” remarked the chairman.

The Westmeath hurlers secured their place in the top flight of the Allianz League but then got demoted to the Joe McDonagh Cup as a result of their Leinster SHC campaign.

“They will have the next of both worlds next year. They are going to have to endure some tough tests against top counties, but that will prepare them for the Joe McDonagh Cup, which will be very competitive,” said Mescall.

At underage level in Westmeath, there is a big push on to get new referees for U12 level but it’s a major challenge for the committee involved. Another hot topic is under 18 players not being permitted to play at adult level. Westmeath has already decided on this issue for next year, but Multyfarnham and St Joseph’s have brought it back to the table as they both have motions on the clár and there is believed to be strong support for it in the county.

It went through by a fairly sizeable majority in Westmeath this year but it is back on the agenda again and could stimulate considerable debate at Wednesday’s gathering.

The Multyfarnham motion is as follows: ‘To amend the planned incoming rule for new under 18 age grade, specifically allowing players in their last year of underage (under 18) to compete in adult football competitions.’

St Joseph’s have the following on the clár: ‘With the re-introduction of even age groups (U18, U16, U14, U12) for underage competitions that Westmeath revisit the decoupling to allow players in their final year at Minor level to play adult grade competitions.’

With the underage Competitions Control Committee (CCC) full stretched at times to deal with hearings, the Cullion club have included a very interesting motion: ‘Where the CCC has imposed a penalty under section 7.2 (b) to (e) inclusive, if a hearing is requested and fails to overturn the penalty imposed by the CCC, that penalty will be doubled,’ it states.

There is a debate around negative tactics in Gaelic football and how it is leading to public apathy and two clubs have motions on the agenda regarding possible changes. Rosemount have included the following: ‘That all frees must be kicked forward.’

The Ballynacargy club has put forward this proposal: ‘That each team keep three forwards behind the 45-metre line at all times.’

Another interesting topic is how smaller clubs are feeling squeezed and in that regard the Ballycomoyle club is calling for change. ‘We wish to propose a motion that no player under the age of 11 can be transferred automatically to another club without the consent of the player’s own club. Unfortunately, there is no rule preventing such transfers now and if this is allowed to continue, smaller clubs will be severely marginalised. Everything must be done to protect and support the survival and progress of such clubs and this motion would be a significant step in doing so,’ they state in a motion to convention.

Westmeath have made some changes to their transfer policy in recent years, aimed at protecting the smaller rural clubs, but some of are still losing players to the bigger clubs who have greater resources.

The following are the nominations for the various positions Chairperson: Frank Mescall; Vice-Chairperson: Donie Malone, Paddy Wallace; Secretary: Brendan Shaw; Assistant Secretary: Keith Quinn; Treasurer: Aidan Walsh; Assistant Treasurer: Des Briody; Officer of Irish Language: Des Cawley; Public Relations Officer: Marie Lynagh; Coaching Officer: Ronan Farrell; Central Council Delegate: Tom Hunt; Leinster Council Delegates: Joe Daly and Pat Reilly; Congress Delegates (3): Patrick Doherty, Pat Reilly, Joe Daly, Tom Farrell; Leinster Convention (5): Albert Lowry, Francie Donoghue, Patrick Doherty, Joe Martin, Michael McHugh.