St Oliver Plunkett's are something of an enigma in Westmeath hurling as they are widely regarded as one of the most talented senior teams in the county, but they have yet to leave their mark on the championship.

Chairman Dr Liam Dalton acknowledges the fact that not having won a senior title is a situation that pains the club, but the Offaly native is confident that statistic can be changed in the very near future.
The 2009 campaign wasn't the most memorable for Plunketts as they won only one game in the senior championship and that was the opening round match against Castletown-Geoghegan. With their senior status secured following that win, it seemed as if the town side took their foot off the pedal much to the frustration of their management team James Heffernan and John Davis.
Successive defeats to Lough Lene Gaels, Castlepollard and Raharney in the winners group meant that the season had failed to live up to expectation for a club that have set such high standards in recent years.
Over the course of the past few years, Plunketts have reached three county semi finals and are still seeking their first appearance in a senior final. Luck has deserted them on some occasions, and they can certainly feel aggrieved not have reached at least one county final during that period.
Down through the years the club have produced excellent underage teams and during the mind-nineties, the dominated this level with success garnered on an annual basis.
"That is situation that we would like to get back too. We know the importance of the underage and to be fair we are starting to compete at all levels again," said Liam.
"There is a good underage structure in place within the club and there is a major effort being put in by the members of the club to look after all age groups. When you are successful, it is very rewarding and especially for kids. It keeps them interested and the aim is to bring them right through to senior level."
Liam is adamant that Plunketts will be placing a greater emphasis on the senior championship this year and he revealed that the have turned to a former manager for guidance.
"Eddie Casey has been brought back in. We were probably at our most successful when he was there before and the players have huge respect for him. We're expecting a big year for the seniors, while the junior should also do well in the championship. With two adult teams, lads can be guaranteed of a game and that is an important factor too.
"There are three or four lad coming through from the minor team that reached the premier semi final last year, so there will be a good blend of youth and experience in the side. Despite, being a relatively young team, a lot of those lads have been around for a good few years now and on their day, they are capable of beating anyone in the county. They have proven that in the last few years."
For this year's campaign, Plunketts have been drawn against Brownstown in the opening round and this is a game that the town team will be favourites to win.
Although they will not take their opponents for granted, Plunketts should have too much strength for the Archerstown Blues, who are missing some key players this year.
"The aim for this year will be to do well in the senior championship. We know that there is a lot more in the lads and as I said on their day, they can match any team. If we get off to a good start, we can then build from there.
"There are a lot of strong teams in the senior championship and there are probably any of five or six teams that have a realistic chance and I'd like to think that we are one of those sides."
St Oliver Plunketts have come along way since first being established in 1976 as the trophy cabinet consists of numerous underage titles, while at adult level county junior and intermediate along with a Leinster club title are also there.
Off the field, Plunketts can be proud of the facilities that they have at Robinstown where there are two excellent pitches and a fine clubhouse. This was all achieved by a dedicated group of people and Liam admits that the work continues on an annual basis.
"We held a successful 'fight night' in February, while we also host a dog night and we have our weekly lotto also. Everyone knows that it is not cheap to run a club these days and especially with the way the current economic climate is at the moment and that is why we need as many people as possible to get involved.
"There will be some low level development work carried out this year, but there are no major plans to carry out any major work as we will be aiming to keep expenditure down."
Liam would like to see more championship games at Robinstown as he feels that the grounds can easily facilitate such matches in the county.
"I certainly feel that the facilities are worthy of bigger games, but at the end of the day that decision is not down to us. However, if called upon, our grounds will be made available for championship matches."
There is no question that this club is one of progression and they have left many of their rivals trailing in their wake both on and off the field. Who would have thought that when Galway native Tony Donoghue placed an advertisement in the Westmeath Examiner in 1976 for people interested in starting up a hurling team in the town to attend a meeting, that Robinstown would be one of the top grounds in the county? To do it in just a little over 30 years is a remarkable achievement, but speaking to the likes of their chairman, you see that there is a drive and passion in the club that will ensure their safe future.

Camogie on the rise
2009 was a good year for club burgeoning camogie section with membership over of 70 girls. We won both our u12 and u10 finals which was a boost both for the girls and their coaches. 2010 sees the club advancing further with our first team taking part in Westmeath Junior camogie championship. We wish them and all of the other teams the best. Tweet

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