Five talking points from Westmeath’s journey to Leinster glory

McHugh’s masterful management

When Mark McHugh was confirmed as Westmeath manager, he sounded a positive tone straight away. He pointed to Louth’s Leinster success last year and asked why couldn’t Westmeath follow suit.

But the former Donegal star also injected a dose of realism when needed. “I think for us as a group and as a county we need to win one Leinster championship game before we decide we’re going to win Leinsters,” he said, a remark which highlighted Westmeath’s inability to win any game in provincial combat for the previous three years.

Shortly after he had been appointed, this writer was among the journalists who interviewed McHugh at half-time during a Westmeath club championship game. His positivity and enthusiasm were infectious as he made light of the long journeys from Donegal. It’s easy to understand how he has built a deep bond and rapport with the players. A young man in his first inter-county managerial role, McHugh understands modern players and how to get the best out of them.

In addition, he’s not afraid to make big calls as he proved when starting Conor McCormack in goals against Meath and throwing Ian Martin into the fray as a sub against Kildare. The same sense of boldness was evident with the decision to bring John Heslin back into the fold and to select him for the match-day squad. This paid off in the Leinster final with Heslin’s two-pointer a real moment for the highlights reel.

McHugh has pinpointed a weekend in his native Donegal during the league campaign, when he brought the team up to Kilcar and Killybegs, as a sort of turning point in the season. Westmeath didn’t need a training camp in sunny Portugal; the Hills of Donegal worked out just fine.

A reward for sterling service

No manager, irrespective of how good he is, can win anything significant without quality players who show the sort of commitment required. This group of Westmeath players have given absolutely everything for the cause and they have got their just reward.

The emergence of talented young players has given Westmeath fans hope, but last Sunday’s Leinster final win is particularly sweet for the players with years of service behind them.

Over the years Westmeath have always tended to produce accomplished players - just not enough of them at the same time. For years, men like Kevin Maguire, James Dolan, Ger Egan, Kieran Martin and John Heslin led the way. This group reached two Leinster finals but saw their hopes of silverware thwarted by an all-conquering Dublin team.

Now people rightly talk about Ronan Wallace, Sam McCartan, Luke Loughlin, Ray Connellan and Matthew Whittaker in a similar vein. Connellan now has the distinction of being the only Westmeath footballer to play in three Leinster finals in three different years. The Athlone man has always been a supremely talented footballer, but now he and the others have a Leinster medal to show for their efforts. After last Sunday’s win, Ray quipped that he could now happily retire but with midfield options still limited, Westmeath fans will be hoping that he will keep on going.

Rising above adversity

Another notable aspect of Westmeath’s success is the number of setbacks the squad had to overcome along the way. Obviously the loss of key forward Luke Loughlin has been well documented. His clubmate Jonathan Lynam, scorer of a superb goal against Wexford which put Westmeath on the cusp of promotion, suffered a season-ending cruciate ligament injury in that game.

Boidu Sayeh, having returned to the Westmeath fold this year, also hasn’t played since that Wexford game. Sam Smyth is a promising defender who would have surely seen far more game time if injury problems hadn’t intervened. Matthew Whittaker was forced off by injury against Kildare and had to play through the pain barrier in the Leinster final, though he still managed to score four points. Last Sunday, Adam Treanor capably stepped in when injury ended Danny Scahill’s involvement.

Players have also reacted very well to any sense of personal disappointment. Senan Baker was started in the semi-final and dropped for the final, yet the Caulry man produced a virtuoso showing off the bench last Sunday, without which Westmeath would not be Leinster champions. Jack Duncan was started instead of Baker and while things didn’t go his way in the first half, he fared much better when returning to the fray in extra-time.

At various stages of games, different players have stepped forward when needed. Shane Allen’s two-pointer when Westmeath were tailing 0-8 to 0-4 on Sunday was absolutely crucial, while Whittaker’s later orange flag infused all maroon-clad fans with a sense of belief.

Building on firm foundations

“Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan,” says the old proverb. And while Mark McHugh is justifiably being showered with praise, there is no doubt that his predecessors also deserve a share of credit.

It was Dessie Dolan who introduced players like Danny Scahill, Matthew Whittaker and Danny Scahill to the Westmeath panel and he was always quick to highlight their potential. In 2024, Dolan guided Westmeath to promotion from Division 3, going on to defeat Down in the final. This was significant progress for a county with Westmeath’s dearth of traditional success. In his role as a pundit on the Sunday Game, Dolan spoke glowingly of the players and of McHugh’s contribution.

The Tailteann Cup success, achieved under Dolan’s predecessor Jack Cooney, helped the players to believe they could go on to greater things. Cooney’s perseverance with Luke Loughlin and his refusal to close the door on the mercurial attacker has also paid dividends. Luke may have missed out on the Leinster semi-final and final wins, but Westmeath would not have beaten Meath without his valuable contribution.

The manner of Dermot McCabe’s departure as manager was unedifying to say the least, but Westmeath produced several impressive displays under the Cavan man last year while having to cope without a plethora of previously key figures. These performances, with McHugh also involved in the management team, helped to fuel self-belief, while a series of agonising defeats surely made the players more determined to do even better.

Back in 2004, there is no doubt that Páidí Ó Sé, along with his fellow Kerryman Tomás Ó Flatharta, inherited a strong foundation from the sterling work of Luke Dempsey. And fair-minded supporters will also acknowledge those who came before the Donegal man with the Midas touch.

Defying underage woes

One of the remarkable aspects of Westmeath’s stunning Leinster triumph is that it was achieved without any tangible underage success. The historic Leinster senior breakthrough of 2004 owed much to the 1999 All-Ireland U21 success (which was backed up by the Leinster minor and U21 double the following year).

Since 2000, Westmeath have only reached one Leinster minor final - in which they were comprehensively beaten by Kildare in 2013. It’s a similar story at U21/U20 level, with 2010 the only year since 2000 that Westmeath reached a Leinster final.

By way of contrast, Kildare have won seven Leinster U21 or U20 titles in that time, also adding All-Ireland U20 crowns in 2018 and 2023. And yet, the Lilywhites have not won a Leinster senior championship since the days when the legendary Mick O’Dwyer was patrolling the sideline.

It’s astonishing that Westmeath could emerge from the shadows and secure the Delaney Cup without any sort of underage harvest to draw from.

Westmeath’s only underage success of any note in recent times was Kenny McKinley’s team winning the All-Ireland U20 ‘B’ title last year. That team featured Tadhg Baker (the captain), Shane Corcoran, Shane Ormsby and Jack Duncan, and it showed that even ‘B’ competitions can be useful in helping players to develop.