Westmeath's loss is Cavan's gain the manager of Westmeath club side The Downs has claimed regarding Liam McHale's decision to join the Breffni County's management team.

The former Mayo star was confirmed as Cavan's new player performance coach last Sunday, just days after he had been proposed as part of Peter Leahy's Westmeath management ticket, which was rejected by club delegates. McHale later insisted that he hadn't agreed to join Leahy, but Tommy Kelly is in no doubt that the big Ballina man would have come on board with Leahy if the recommendation had been accepted.

"He is a loss that cannot be underestimated," said Kelly - who was set to be part of Leahy's backroom team - in the Westmeath Topic.

"He's one of the top coaches in the game and he sets his teams up for longevity. He is a workaholic who stays at the task until it is perfected. It was a very affordable option for Westmeath and would have introduced players to a whole new level of coaching. I feel sorry for the players that this opportunity has been missed."

The Downs manager added: "I felt a lot of coaches could learn from Peter Leahy and Liam McHale, who are very advanced in modern coaching techniques. I saw this as an opportunity for Westmeath to change our culture and, most of all, create a platform where our players knew that we were endeavouring to do the best for them, and that politics was put aside for once and for all."

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