Browne full of praise for his side's battling qualities

Westmeath manager Frank Browne was full of praise for his side's resilience and defensive strength after they edged Down in a fiercely-contested TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship opener last weekend.

The win extends Westmeath’s recent excellent form, and Browne was keen to underline the importance of maintaining that momentum. The Lake County will have a break before they face Tyrone in their second match.

“What we talked a lot about today was continuing our winning run on to five, nothing else, just continue that momentum; go and get another win” he said.

“It turned into a battle. After 20 minutes, it didn’t look like it was going to be like that. I thought we were flying and we kind of took our foot off the gas.”

Browne acknowledged his side had only played in patches, but was pleased they had enough in the tank when it mattered most.

“I think realistically, we probably played for the first 20 minutes and then we probably played for the last 10 minutes,” he admitted. “A battle is only great when you win it. When you lose a battle, there’s no fun in it.

“I think we showed all the battling qualities. We showed fitness, strength, all of those things. And a little bit of composure at the end as well.”

That composure included a crucial late save from goalkeeper Aoife Temple (Athlone) to preserve the lead, and it was a moment that could have swung the game.

“We were holding on by two and Aoife Temple made a great save. Was it a penalty? We're never going to know that. The fact is that she saved it and made a really good save.

“That confidence, that little bit of luck — you make your luck — and that comes from winning as well.”

Temple’s influence was backed up by an outstanding display from full-back Sarah Murphy (Moate), who has quickly established herself as a defensive cornerstone.

“Internally in the dressing room, she won’t mind me saying it, we call her Darren Fay — and any of the older readers will remember Darren Fay. As a full back, he was kind of let the ball in or let the man in: I don’t mind, I’m going to sort it out anyway. And there’s a touch of that old school about her,” said Browne.

“It’s great for a goalie when you look out and you see a colossus in there. I think she got two or three blocks in today.

“The same the last day. She’s just solid. You have to be built on a solid defence all the time and we were.”

Browne was also impressed by how his team managed to play with purpose early on, particularly in terms of creating and using space intelligently.

“I think the first 20 minutes, our actual football skills and our football distribution was absolutely excellent.

“We made space and that’s what we talk about a lot. Every coach you talk to, they mention about the importance of creating space. But we’ve done it well.”

Westmeath’s renowned fitness levels again played a major part in seeing out the result, something Browne attributed to the hard yards put in during the winter months.

“That goes back to the players in January and February and there were wet, windy nights when we were in St Loman's doing 200m sprints. It’s the old Brian Cody phrase, 'you train hard, you win easy', and that’s what we’re trying to focus on as well.”

While the performance was not flawless, particularly in terms of shooting accuracy, Browne was philosophical about their nine wides.

“Our shooting efficiency in the first 20 minutes was really, really good and then it was almost like we were almost forcing a score. It was almost like, ‘okay, we need a score to steady the ship here’ and we started forcing, looking for that score, and it didn’t come. But the last ten minutes when we started relaxing into it, suddenly we started getting a bit of a rub of the green; we got a few frees and then we got back into the driver’s seat.”

Westmeath have a break before facing Tyrone on Sunday, June 15, a gap that comes at a good time for several dual players.

“We have a couple of guys doing the Leaving Cert and that gives a little bit of breathing space to those girls, which is really important as well. Their dedication to Leaving Cert and all of that has absolutely been phenomenal. They’re a massive credit.”

Browne confirmed that he and his management will make the trip north to scout their next opponents in person.

“We’ll take the trip up to watch Down and Tyrone. That’s a huge game for both of those teams now. But it also gives us an opportunity though — and this is really important — to see Tyrone in a game. You see videos, but it’s different getting to see them playing live, and getting to see what they’re doing and what they’re not doing.

“But we’ll go back to work. The overalls are back on, the shovels, the wheelbarrows — and we’ll go back to work on Tuesday night.”