'We have a bit of work to do' admits McKeogh
Westmeath minor hurling boss Brendan McKeogh was satisfied but far from getting carried away after watching his charges claim a solid nine-point win over Meath in their latest Leinster Championship outing.
Speaking after the final whistle, McKeogh described the result as "job done" and it is a win that keeps Westmeath in a promising position ahead of their final two group fixtures.
"We knew that was going to be a tough one. Meath were fairly good today. We're glad to have it behind us and have the job done; some good performances all around in fairness."
Among those standout performances were midfield powerhouse Dillon Burke and the ever-reliable Conor Williams, both of whom continue to impress across both codes.
"Yes, two exceptional lads," McKeogh said. "Dillon, to be fair, is playing both (football and hurling), and he's strong enough to play both. He’s a fair character on the team. And obviously Conor’s talent is known, I suppose, around the county at this stage."
The result puts Westmeath in a strong position ahead of back-to-back ties against Antrim and Offaly, but McKeogh is keeping his squad firmly focused on the next challenge.
"We're just trying to jump one fence at a time," he said. "It's Antrim next week. All eyes will be on that now. We have a bit of work to do; a few things we didn’t do that well today we’ll be working on during the week.
“And I suppose with the dual players, it’s about keeping them fresh too.
"There’s a bit to do this week, maybe not massively labour-intensive stuff, but there’s a few areas we have to tighten up; areas in which we were poor today."
Despite leading comfortably at half-time, McKeogh admitted that the second-half showing left room for improvement, particularly in key areas.
"When we went in with such a strong lead at half-time, maybe it flattered us a bit, I don't know, maybe we’ll have to watch it back. But they’re young lads. We probably dropped the concentration a wee bit in the second half, particularly up in the half-forward line and probably the full-back line too.
"But we are going to work on those little concentration lapses. We're going to improve that.”
With Antrim next on the agenda on Saturday in Joristown at 1pm, McKeogh is keen to ensure his side build on this victory over the Royals.