A team on the rise!

westmeath2015 (Westmeath) - Posts: 153 - 07/05/2016 16:53:52    1852773

Unbelievable results of late. Fair play to them.

Pingcity (Longford) - Posts: 568 - 07/05/2016 17:08:57    1852778

Looks that way! Credit to Michael Ryan (his 2nd year in charge, I think) who took a not-so-glamourous position & is helping to make great strides.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 07/05/2016 17:11:50    1852779

Another good win,but how far can they rise?I'm afraid,like Laois,who were on the same rise a couple years back and Kerry,at present,they will rise only so far,and will remain miles off the standard of the top teams.I really don't know how the likes of the aforementioned teams can ever compete with Kilkenny,Tipp etc,but there's no doubt great work being done.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 07/05/2016 17:13:40    1852780

Great result away in Tralee against a fancied Kerry team!

saulgael (Down) - Posts: 553 - 07/05/2016 17:18:26    1852784

Westmeath look like they could cause a few teams bother.Kerry on the other hand must be disappointed to loose at home.
Hard to see where they really are after this result.Looks like they will struggle in Leinster at championship stage.More a league side perhaps.

Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 07/05/2016 17:35:51    1852791

Like cuederocket mentioned above, there's only so far they can go. There's always a current "darling" of the 2nd tier hurling teams that people love to point out as making progress. For a while about 15/20 years ago it was Meath playing division 1 hurling and beating Laois in the championship, then Westmeath (beating Dublin and winning a more competitive CR), then Carlow came up to LMacC and beat Wexford in the league, then it was Laois in the last 2 or 3 years, now its Kerry and Westmeath again. The truth is Westmeath aren't doing anything other teams like Laois or Antrim havent done before.

In the 90s Meath beat Offaly and Wexford in the league, and Kerry beat Waterford in the championship. I'd imagine had hoganstand been around at the time people would have been saying "the only way is up, the dynamics have shifted forever! ". Which obviously never came to pass. These things come in cycles, and Westmeath are just nearing the top of theirs.

CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1643 - 07/05/2016 17:47:34    1852795

Cuderocket

I wouldnt call it miles behind the standard of the big teams. The gap is closing...westmeath or any of these other teams are maybe just as skilled as a lot of teams. Where yhese teams fall behind is the level of intensity they bring to the game, maybe not being able to keep it up for a full seventy minutes or maybe just a split second slower. And are westmeath a team on the rise? I think so for the next 3 to 4 ,years at least. Could be interesting times ahead

preddan (Kildare) - Posts: 735 - 07/05/2016 17:52:04    1852799

Good post castle bravo.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 07/05/2016 18:38:02    1852818

Castle bravo in my opinion is wrong.In the early eighties Offaly were the team who made the breakthrough on the back of high class underage over a period.Westmeath actually made division one in 1985 (eight teams) beating Tipperary,Galway and Offaly in the process but the team got devastated by emigration.Laois were top class in this period as well beating Kilkenny in the championship.This Westmeath team is very young and we'll managed.At underage level over the past decade they have been competitive with top teams.With luck with injuries,continued good management and a solvent county board they can go further and further.

jobber (Westmeath) - Posts: 1455 - 08/05/2016 21:28:52    1853108

Serious win tonight in Leinster u21 hurling championship

Westmeath 1-11 Kilkenny 0-12

Jack_Sparrow (Westmeath) - Posts: 1016 - 25/05/2016 21:06:33    1858656

There should be a new thread on this win tonight....it has to be one of the biggest hurling shocks of all time. Westmeath hurling is definitely going places and all the underage work is really paying off. I knew Westmeath had a good u21 team but to beat the tradionalists of Kilkenny deserves nationwide headlines. Try and go on now to win the leinster and make history.

preddan (Kildare) - Posts: 735 - 25/05/2016 21:11:19    1858658

Fantastic.Well done to all involved.Great night for Westmeath hurling.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 25/05/2016 21:12:53    1858659

That is a genuinely, literally unbelievable result. Comhghairdeas mór!

an tseabhac (Kerry) - Posts: 441 - 25/05/2016 21:12:56    1858660

Wow. Fantastic. Watch out Galway!

ZUL10 (Clare) - Posts: 693 - 25/05/2016 21:14:40    1858662

Great result. Those fellas will be walking about tomorrow with pride bursting out of every pore and a real belief that "this is what it's ALL for". Well done.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9701 - 25/05/2016 21:25:51    1858673

well done tonight westmeath - was there for qualifier last year - put it up to us big time and had some fine players and knowledgable and passionate hurling fans -take a bow

janesboro (Limerick) - Posts: 1502 - 25/05/2016 21:32:34    1858681

Wonderful to see, congratulations to all who are involved in growing the game in the county.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 25/05/2016 21:39:54    1858689

I think Laois, Westmeath and Carlow have all gone in the right direction for the past few years and just beceause fortunes at senior level take a turn for the worse doesn't mean the progress isn't continuing. I think the GAA has finally more or less got many parts of the league structure correct. Ok automatic promotion/relegation is an issue but opportunities for the minnows to be playing bigger teams on a regular basis is great. Realistically these counties have a better chance at regular success in hurling than in football and when all of their clubs start properly investing in their underage then those chances will increase. I think a senior hurling Leinster for westmeath is almost more likely than a football at this stage, such is Dublin's dominance in football.

hurlinspuds (Cork) - Posts: 1494 - 26/05/2016 09:19:11    1858718

Great win for Westmeath last night. It has been a good few weeks for Westmeath GAA, with their seniors qualifying for the Leinster hurling quarter final v Galway.

thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1740 - 26/05/2016 10:25:30    1858747