Cooney relishing underdogs' tag in Westmeath decider

When Coralstown/Kinnegad take the field against The Downs in Sunday’s Westmeath Senior Football Championship final, it will mark a second appearance on the biggest day in three seasons for a club whose long wait for senior glory stretches back to 1996. That was the year when a youthful Jack Cooney helped his club win the Flanagan Cup as a player. Now, almost three decades on, he leads them from the sideline in search of another famous victory.

“It was a different build-up a couple of years ago,” Cooney reflects. “It was our first time in a long, long time – I think it was 25 years. So I think it’s different now this year. Obviously, it’s only two years, so hopefully that experience we had a couple of years ago will stand to the lads. A lot of the things they experienced for the first time then won’t be new to them this year.”

That sense of familiarity, he believes, will stand to a group that has learned plenty from the ups and downs of a turbulent campaign. Coralstown/Kinnegad endured a stuttering start to their 2025 season, and by Cooney’s own admission, they’ve had to fight their way through difficult spells to reach the final.

“We had The Downs up in the first game and St Loman’s in the second – two very, very tough challenges. Following those two games, we knew we needed to get points on the board and produce a good performance against Mullingar Shamrocks. It’s been a very bumpy few months – up and down – which is good in some ways because you get to test your mettle, see what you’re about, and build a bit of character.

“It hasn’t been plain sailing, and it’s kind of jumped up and bit us now that we’re in the county final. A short time ago, we were totally focused on St Loman’s and preparing for that (semi-final). The Downs, on the other hand, have probably been looking towards the final for a while, the way they’ve been playing. For us, we’re just happy and delighted to be here. We’re finding a bit of form and we’ll try to bring that into the final.”

The turning point, without question, came in that dramatic group encounter with Athlone, a game that could easily have ended their campaign.

“It’s not that long ago, ten or 15 minutes to go against Athlone, we were looking for the exit gates in Moate thinking, ‘How are we going to get out of here fairly quickly, and alive?’” Cooney recalls with a laugh. “And then the boys just found something and turned that game around. It gave us a real boost of energy coming into the Caulry match, which was only a week away, and allowed us to carry that into another crucial game.”

Since then, momentum has built steadily, culminating in an impressive semi-final victory over St Loman’s, when Coralstown/Kinnegad hit 21 scores and finished strongly to seal their return to the decider. “We’re delighted with that,” says Cooney. “It’s the time of year to be finding a bit of form. If you’re playing your best football earlier in the summer, it can be hard to maintain that.

“The fact that we’ve beaten St Loman’s, who we haven’t beaten too often, that’s going to bring renewed optimism and enthusiasm to the whole group. But we’re still under no illusions – The Downs are raging hot favourites, and rightly so. We’re just going to bring the bounce we got against St Loman’s and try to bring it into the final.”

There’s a refreshing honesty to Cooney’s assessment of where his side stands. He admits that this year’s run to the final has “kind of jumped up and bit us”, but the relaxed, underdog mentality seems to suit his players. “We’d be operating under that premise for sure,” he nods. “I think the fact it’s been such a topsy-turvy summer, we’re just delighted to be in the final. No expectation on it whatsoever. We’re straight into preparing for it and trying to get our head around The Downs and what they’re going to bring to us.

“The lads are young as well. They’re such a young bunch – they’re just enjoying the craic and enjoying preparing for it. Some of the lads came back from travels over the summer and they’ve brought a bit of energy and a renewed kind of focus as well. So we’re kind of just trundling along and we find ourselves in a final.”

While much of the talk has centred on The Downs’ consistency and experience — last year’s beaten finalists have been the form team all summer - Cooney is quick to highlight the importance of local rivalry and the intangible edge it brings.

“That’s correct, 100 per cent,” he says of the derby element. “It’s good craic there now at the moment between the two teams, especially if you’re living in Coralstown. That’s going to bring a nice bit of spice to it as well. There’ll be huge excitement.

“The Downs are the form team and we’re coming in left of centre, probably a surprise packet to be in it, to be honest. But look, we’ll give it a really, really good shot and hopefully carry the momentum we’ve brought over the last couple of games into the final.”

Training, he reports, has been excellent, and with a full panel available, the atmosphere in Kinegad has been transformed by this unexpected run. “It’s a great privilege to be still involved with your club in October,” he smiles. “I was only saying it to the boys a couple of weeks ago – it’s great when you start out with the woolly hat and when you’re finishing up, you have the woolly hat back on again.

“So yeah, the longer the year goes on, the better it is. Everybody in Kinegad is delighted we’re in a final because they weren’t expecting it. It’s just brought a kind of surprise, buzz and energy about the place, which is great. The final is just around the corner, and it gives everybody a huge lift.”

That sense of connection runs deep in Coralstown/Kinnegad. Cooney, who played on the last title-winning team, is acutely aware of the club’s history and the work that has gone into producing the current crop. “We’ve won one as Coralstown/Kinnegad and we had one previously in 1967 (as St Finian's) before that,” he notes. “So we’re getting to the stage now where it’s sons and nephews and probably grandsons nearly at this stage of the previous winners representing the team.

“There’s a link there to the past, but the lads now are competing really well, and that’s as a result of probably eight, ten, twelve years put into underage. Even though those people are gone now, the lads competing today are the product of a long-term plan that the club took many years ago to really work with the underage.”

For Cooney, who works as the GAA’s National Player Development Lead in Croke Park, Sunday is as much about honouring that work as it is about silverware.

Coralstown/Kinnegad have surpassed expectations but their manager knows that if they can bottle the spirit that turned their season around in Moate, they’ll have every chance of producing something special on Sunday. And the great spirit that is evident in the club can only serve them well.