St Joseph’s hoping it’s a case of third time lucky in final

There is little doubt that Sunday’s Westmeath Junior 1 Football Championship final promises to be a compelling contest as St Joseph’s take on The Downs at TEG Cusack Park (1.15pm).

Both clubs arrive determined to finish their respective campaigns on a high and claim county honours.

St Joseph’s arrive at the culmination of the championship on the back of a steady season. The last Friday in September saw the Streamstown side clock up 4-13 against a solid St Loman’s Mullingar team, securing their place in the final for third consecutive year.

The previous two may not have gone their way, but rather than dwell on the negatives, they are focusing on their achievements.

“It’s building now,” St Joseph’s manager Gerry Gleeson said as final day approaches.

Psychology is only one strand in the fabric of a team. However if that strand tears, the whole thing can unravel. Heading into this year’s championship, Gleeson grabbed the bull by the horns.

“From the very start, our first job was to get morale up. Losing one county final was bad enough, but two in a row was another kettle of fish. So job number one was getting the lads enjoying it again, and we felt we got that going nicely in the league,” he said.

‘Nicely’ is one way to describe it. St Joseph’s won the ACFL Division 4 title this year. Their arrival in the final is not a case of stumbling into it, but Gerry seems reluctant to overplay his hand.

“Like everything, we had a few blips,” the manager said. “We recovered from them almost immediately. Championship came along then, and we made a slow start. There was a turning point, I suppose, with the Kilbeggan game. I could feel the belief growing in the lads from there. We went from strength to strength, and here we are, where we feel we belong.”

Streamstown is not one of the burgeoning metropolises of Westmeath. There’s more pastureland around than apartment blocks. The last census tells us there were 519 people living in the village. In the knockout stages they overcame the challenge of the second teams from Athlone and St Loman’s, Mullingar.

“St Loman’s proved, as we were expecting, to be a really tough test. We just got out of the blocks really quick, and we managed the game from there. We were very pleased with that,” he says.

That semi-final victory over St Loman’s was particularly impressive. Dean Slevin struck for two goals, while Jordan McDonnell was influential in the build-up and on the scoreboard.

“We’ve always felt that some of our lads are well capable of banging in the goals. It feels like they’re coming at the right time. We’ve been getting those scores, but we’re under no illusions,” Gerry remarked.

“We have The Downs next. We’re going to have to get a couple again if we want to get over the line. We know there’s plenty of work to do.”

The challenge that lays ahead is formidable. The Downs have been on a high since their senior side claimed the Flanagan Cup earlier this month. They also produced a convincing semi-final display, defeating Kilbeggan Shamrocks 2-17 to 3-7. Such a result underlines their ability to deliver when the stakes are high.

Gleeson points out that The Downs’ championship winning environment is the milieu in which their junior team trains.

“This junior team in The Downs will be training at a high level. A lot of inter-county players play for The Downs. They are the top standard in senior football. They’re going into Leinster now. We’ll be telling our lads these guys are going to come ready. They’ve been learning from the best. But we’ll also be ready.”

The key battle may come down to which side controls the middle third, wins enough possession and makes better use of scoring opportunities. In a final, momentum can shift quickly, and the cliché of blending youth and experience becomes a practical reality.

“We’re still a relatively young team,” Gerry offers, “We also have lads that are playing with us a long time. They’re actually rather experienced now at this stage. They seem to be coming to the fore now as well. They’re bringing all the younger lads on with them. Collectively now, we’re in a good place at the minute.”

To go into consecutive finals requires panel depth. As a smaller club, St Joseph’s have been trying to punch above their weight, “Look, no more than every other rural place, we wouldn’t be overly blessed with an influx of players. Now, we do get them occasionally coming along. Our panel isn’t huge this year, but we’re just making it work," the manager says.

“We’ve had bigger panels in the past. We lost two players to emigration there last year. For a small place like Streamstown, that’s a hammer blow. Next year, we’ll have a few coming along. But as it stands now, we don’t really have a huge panel.”

“We’ve done a bit of player profiling on them (The Downs), not too much. That was one of our aims this year, to work on ourselves more, and maybe not concentrate on the opponent. We have done our homework, and we hope it will work on the day,” he continues.

Gerry has confidence that the required leadership is in his squad. “We have many leaders this year. In particular, we have Jordan McDonnell, Dean Slevin, Mikey Lynam, Ben McDonnell. These guys are showing true character this year, and true leadership. They’re bringing the rest along with them.”

The St Joseph’s coach says that there are no major fitness concerns ahead of the final: “We had a few niggles leading up to the quarter-final and semi-final, and a few at the end of the group stage. That was a tough time for us, but we seem to be coming into it now, so no concerns at the minute,” said Gleeson, who is joined by the backroom team of Joe Boyle, Billy Kelly and Eddie Scally.

The junior final will be followed by the eagerly awaited intermediate decider between Milltown and Shandonagh (3.15pm).