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Westmeath Football thread - 7 Like(s)

Replying To Claretandblue:  "League finals fixtures are all out, starting this Friday and finishing on Monday, all in Cusack Park, think one set is a triple header, doubtful that county players will be allowed to play although free weekend for county side, major disadvantage to Loman's if that's the case as they had four starters on Saturday while Kinnegad had none, should be allowed to play minimum 30 mins, Athlone have Ray Connellan and Sam Duncan unlikely to play for Milltownpass in Div 2 final regardless having hobbled off last Saturday, think that's all of county starters involved in league finals. Championship could start on weekend of 24th June if footballers draw or lose Tyrone match."
Two things I can't understand re club championship:

1. Football championship is due to start the week after our footballers get knocked out of the All Ireland series. So at the moment the most likely date is the weekend of the 24th of June. That does not give clubs enough time to prepare for games with county players and it's not fair on our county players. Why can't the hurling championship be played the week after our footballers get knocked out? County Hurlers have been knocked out of championship two weeks now.

2. Can't understand how a full list of day/time/venue for each club game isn't released. Players have holidays/stags/weddings and other events to attend during the summer but can't make plans as day/time/venue of games aren't put out until 7 days before games. For example I see Meath have announced day/time/venue for every game of a their Senior, intermediate, Junior, Junior B and Junior C championships on their social media's. I understand this takes huge work for fixture secretary but it would mean a lot for players, managers and supporters who can book events around games.

Temple56 (National) - 05/06/2023 23:58:56

Westmeath Football thread - 7 Like(s)
Absolute shambles.

After a vote this evening, where the county board delegate held the majority our championship format has been changed. I genuinely can't believe it.

Under the new structure, the 9th-ranked team overall will qualify for the quarter-finals by coming through a group while the 4th-ranked team in the championship will be knocked out. You could easily see a situation where Lomans finish 4th in Group A after facing top sides like The Downs, Shamrocks, Kinnegad and Garrycastle, while Kilcucan finish 3rd in Group B after playing teams like Moate, Tang, Athlone and Tubberclair.

How is that fair?

Not a single player I've spoken to wants this change. Can someone explain why this was pushed through and what the reasoning is? It's a real kick in the teeth for players and clubs.

If you believe I'm wrong please let me know and your reasons to why change was needed ????

I'm just fed up! County board finally had something right and then decided actually no we should change it as it's running too well.

Temple56 (National) - 12/02/2026 22:42:56

Westmeath Football thread - 6 Like(s)

Replying To Blackjack:  "No team who loses 3 matches should be allowed win a championship I think anyway. Everyone entitled to opinion."
Our championship format keeps every team engaged from start to finish, with promotion and relegation ensuring no game is meaningless. Group A provides top-level clashes while Group B offers teams a real pathway to prove themselves in the knockouts. The tier system creates excitement, as every team has something to fight for, whether it's championships, survival, or just getting to the knockouts. Stronger teams get rewarded with more knockout spots, while underdogs still have the chance to upset and climb the ladder.

Even in Group A, if a team lost three games and still went on to win the championship, this only shows how competitive and balanced the championship is anyone can win if they peak at the right time. The structure guarantees fresh matchups each year, keeping the competition fair, dynamic, and exciting.

Best format in the country. No need to change it.

Temple56 (National) - 23/09/2025 10:17:26

2022 All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Finals - 5 Like(s)

Replying To legendzxix:  "Munster had 67% representation in the League Top 16 for guarantee of a qualifier spot. The highest of any province.
Munster has 50% representation in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. The highest of any province.
The 67% to 50% drop is because 2 Munster counties were drawn against each other! Some province for one province!!"
Shows you how bad the All Ireland football system is that 3 Munster teams are getting to the QFs....

Temple56 (National) - 13/06/2022 12:51:51

Westmeath Football thread - 4 Like(s)
I'm still reeling from last night. As someone else mentioned, it really felt like the way it was set up pitted Group A clubs against Group B teams in both Senior and Intermediate.

I still can't get my head around how the ninth-best team from the group stage qualifies for the knockouts, while the fourth-best is eliminated. Surely the groups need to be reviewed?

If you're involved with a Group B club in either championship, you're probably delighted today. I'd say there are a few laughs being had at the expense of local rivals. It also makes you wonder what the point was of clubs pushing so hard for promotion last year if this is how it plays out.

Temple56 (National) - 13/02/2026 15:39:14

Westmeath Footballers 2020 - 4 Like(s)

Replying To finnyfifs:  "Dublin, Tyrone, Galway, Mayo, Donegal, Monaghan, Kerry and Dublin's reserves (Coz they beat Roscommon in Carrick on Shannon with their second team the day the Hyde was flooded) and second team also beat them twice in super eights."
Roscommon have been a top 8 team for 3-4 years now. 4 Connacht Finals in a row. Have won it 2 out of the last 3 years. No one said they are as good as Dublin or Kerry they are on a different level to everyone else but they are on the same level as Galway, Mayo, Tyrone, Donegal and Monaghan.
On their day they would have beat any of these teams in the last 4 years...
The reason they are having a poor season so far is because of injuries and players leaving panel. Roscommon is small county imaging if Westmeath were missing 14 player's we would be a Div4 team
I really hope we beat them when we play them but I think it will be tough. They are managed by Anthony Cunningham if you ask people from Garrycastle he is one of the best managers ever in Westmeath football. 3 years he was involved they won 3 county championships 1 Leinster and lost an all Ireland final.
Some record!!!!

Temple56 (Westmeath) - 13/02/2020 18:01:41

Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)

Replying To Claretandblue:  "How's your EGM proposal coming along? Must be harder to generate support considering recent string of victories? What's your selling point? Winning All Ireland in both codes by 2028?"
You still haven't answered what position you hold on the county board, it's clear and obvious you are involved.

Selling point for EGM would be that people in Westmeath have trust in the county board!

Some recent brilliant on field results at underage and senior level won't pull the wool over anyone's eyes. The county board has the finances all over the place!

Just read this forum and you can see for yourself how unhappy people are!

Some strange calls have been made at the top level of the county board over the last 3/4 years. Clubs seem to voice their opinions at county board meetings but are always ignored.

Temple56 (National) - 08/05/2026 15:56:56

Westmeath Football Managers 2022 - 3 Like(s)

Replying To mickcunningham:  "dont rule out tyrrellspass"
Tyrellspass a finished team mick!

Temple56 (National) - 22/01/2022 18:49:52

Time For Someone In GAA Authority To Say STOP - 3 Like(s)
Imagine every Ulster championship game was held in Croke Park do you think it would still have the same buzz?

Leinster council need to move all Leinster Championship games out of Croke Park.

Play them in O Moore park, Tullamore or Kilkenny 3 brilliant stadiums

Temple56 (National) - 30/05/2022 11:44:01

Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)

Replying To Mooo:  "Championship over any new players deserve to make the step up to county panel"
Eoin O'Brien (Kinnegad)
Josh Gahan (Kinnegad)
Eamonn Martin (Athlone)
Enda Gaffeny (Lomans)
Paddy Sleator (Caulry)
Ronan Hanley (Tang)
Darragh Lowry (Moate)
Paddy Fagan (Shamrocks)

Temple56 (National) - 05/10/2023 11:15:54

Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)

Replying To iarmhiabu:  "It is absolutely shocking what is going on, no surprise St Loman's grass pitch was playable for a League game last night!!"
I agree, hopefully the blindfolds come off and people start to see what's really going on.

I'm not blaming St Loman's or Kinnegad, because I know my own club is in the same boat. But right now, there's a complete breakdown in trust between the clubs and the county board. It feels like the county board's default response is to shift the blame onto the clubs.

It's hard to believe that a pitch deemed unplayable on Wednesday night for a major U20 championship match was suddenly considered playable just 24 hours later for a Division 1 ACFL game. If that got picked up by the national media, we'd be a laughing stock.

At this stage, I think an EGM is needed as soon as possible. The county board is in a very poor position, and it's difficult to see how relationships with clubs can be repaired under the current circumstances.

I've no doubt that everyone involved with Westmeath GAA is doing their best, but the "my way or the highway" attitude from some individuals has really damaged how the board is viewed. Hopefully, a few step aside and we see new leadership come in.

Temple56 (National) - 27/03/2026 11:51:28

Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Have a a feelings all 3 Westmeath clubs will reach Leinster finals.

If all 3 win this weekend we could have an all timer next weekend with both Senior finals being played in Croke Park we could have Lomans and C/G playing there on the Saturday.

Then for Garrycastle if they win they get a home Leinster final which I presume they will pick Cusack Park. That will be plays on Sunday.

Let's hope all 3 get it done this weekend !!

Temple56 (National) - 22/11/2024 12:28:28

Round 3 Neutral Venues All Ireland - 3 Like(s)
After the draw this afternoon we know that round 3 will be held in neutral venues. I have had a stab at choosing the venues. Of course Croke Park will be used for at least 2 games but I have not picked Croke Park for any of the games as I have gone with stand alone fixtures to fill stadiums and create a better atmosphere. This fixtures also depend on how wins provincial finals over the next 2 weeks. I have predicted that all 4 favorites will win them. (Galway, Kerry, Dublin and Derry)

Kerry VS Louth - O'Moore Park, Portlaoise - Capacity: 22,000
Mayo VS Cork - TUS Gaelic Grounds - Capacity: 44,000

Tyrone VS Westmeath - Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon - Capacity: 10,000
Galway VS Armagh - Breffni Park, Cavan - Capacity: 25,000

Dublin VS Sligo - Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon - Capacity: 19,000
Roscommon VS Kildare - O Connor Park, Tullamore - Capacity: 18,000

Derry VS Clare - MacHale Park, Castlebar - Capacity: 26,000
Monaghan VS Donegal - Healy Park, Omagh - Capacity: 18,000

Imagine the atmospheres that we could get at some of these games!!!

Temple56 (National) - 02/05/2023 15:00:54

Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Great news that Kildare lost. Unless Offaly win we are in the All Ireland!!

Well done to Dessie and players that was the goal at the start of the year. Div 2 football and All Ireland football both achieved

Hopefully the lads get a boost by this now and put in some good performances in the group stages and see can we go one step further this year

Temple56 (National) - 28/04/2024 15:56:51

Tailteann Cup 2022 - 2 Like(s)

Replying To legendzxix:  "Preliminary Round - South:
Wexford v Offaly
Wicklow v Waterford

Round 1 - South:
Wexford/Offaly v Wicklow/Waterford
Carlow v Tipperary
Laois v Westmeath

Round 1 - North:
Longford v Fermanagh
Leitrim v Antrim
Sligo v London
Cavan v Down"
Ulster and Lenister teams are sick of playing each other. I cant understand why this competition has been split north and south. Was this in the proposal that was passed at congress? What were the benefits of splitting the Taiteann Cup?

Its been treated like the Micky Mouse Cup from the get go.

Temple56 (National) - 16/05/2022 09:37:41

Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
U20s very unlucky with injuries to key players.

Still cant get my head around how we won our group and had to travel to Meath to play the QF when they finished 2nd in their group.

We beat Kildare in round 1. The pre tournament favorites. However, the way its worked out is they had the easy QF and now have Laois in a semi which they should win. No reward for winning your two group games!!

Temple56 (National) - 13/04/2023 09:57:06

Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)

Replying To jamsie:  "the county board have enough votes to make the difference. All clubs, naturally, voted for what suited their clubs in the coming year. So close to 50/50. County board votes tipped the balance. They wanted a different format , failed to ram it through, so used this as a stepping stone. If you want to remove something people like, make it worse first, and then they'll agree. The whole charade is bad faith.
Flawed is the wrong word to use. It's utterly farcical.
The club delegates are not at fault. The county board is. They are supposed to show leadership."
I couldn't have put this any better myself!

We had the best format possible. Every team was guaranteed five games against teams at similar level, and we consistently had the four best teams reaching the semi-finals every year. For some reason, a club that has struggled at senior level to reach the knockouts kicked up a fuss last year, claiming the structure was unfair. That same club has at least three members on the County Board.

Regarding the vote, it effectively pitted clubs against each other. Take Caulry and Moate, for example two massive rivals. Caulry beat Moate in Round 5 last year, which earned them a quarter-final spot and also secured their place in Section A for 2026. When the vote came around, it was obvious Moate would favour change because it gave them a better chance of qualifying, while Caulry knew that any changes would leave them with a much slimmer chance of qualification. Naturally, Caulry voted against the change.

After the vote, there was serious slagging going on in the pubs around Moate.

I've said it here before, but I'm not 100% sure how many votes the County Board gets I think it's somewhere between 15 and 20. The night before the vote, County Board delegates were apparently told that they had to vote for change. Some delegates even went against what their own club officials had voted for, simply to keep the top table happy.

Anyone who has gone against the top table within the County Board over the last two or three years has gradually been removed from their position.

Temple56 (National) - 14/08/2026 14:57:24

Does Ulster Championship Benefit Ulster Teams? - 2 Like(s)

Replying To shaggykev:  "Grade one trolling there.

Kerry would win about 2-3 over 10 years and Dublin maybe 4-5. If neither side played any games at home, it is Ulster after all, then you'd see Dublin & Kerry out on their ear in the quarter finals plenty of times.

Ulster is the best championship by a margin. Connacht has three evenly matched sides but it suffers from inbalance in fixtures. But yes Ulster is not helping Ulster teams win All Irelands and the new system will make it even worse.

However Ulster teams know when they win it all, its because they deserved it. Can never say the same for Dublin or Kerry."
Dublin 4/5? Are you mad?
They won six All Irelands in row and no one in Ulster got near them in that time!
Dublin would have won the last 10 Ulster's at a canter. No Ulster team have beat Dublin in championship since 2014!
It's not nice to hear because yee up in Ulster think it's a great competition which it is! However, if Dublin were in it over the last 10 years it would be in the same position as Leinster at the moment

Temple56 (National) - 30/04/2024 22:07:42

Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)

Replying To Jack_Sparrow:  "Not arguing about that. Don't like either system. Should be open draw. Read back my posts"
I've noticed you're the first person I've heard express dislike for this format, which has been a real success story for Westmeath GAA. If you don't mind me asking, what club are you from?

This format was in place from 2017 to 2025. Each year, the top two teams in the county reached the county final, with the possible exception of 2020 when the structure was altered due to Covid-19. In 2020, the strongest teams in the county - Lomans, The Downs, and Garrycastle - ended up on the same side of the draw. Despite that, we still had a strong final, with T Pass performing well on the day and arguably deserving to win.

Under the previous format (2000-2016), there were significant issues. For example, in the 2015 final, Castledaly reached the final. No disrespect to Castledaly, but they were not the second-best team in Westmeath at the time. However, they still deserved their place in the final based on how the format operated.

Regarding the rule about not being able to be relegated from Section A - this is effectively the reward for qualifying for the knockout stages the previous year. In my opinion, no team in Section A this year would have been in real danger of relegation. Athlone and T Pass finished 5th and 6th, and both teams would likely have beaten Tang or Malachys by double digits this year.

For example, last year, if you finished bottom of a group containing Garrycastle, Caulry, Moate, Killucan, Tang, and Malachys, then relegation would be justified. However, finishing bottom of a group containing Lomans, Downs, Shamrocks, Kinnegad, Athlone, or T Pass is not comparable.

Temple56 (National) - 04/03/2026 01:21:51

Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)

Replying To Jack_Sparrow:  "Poor in your opinion. The teams that finish 5th and 6th in group A are no great shakes and just because they had a decent year the previous year the are immune from relegation. They mightn't even have the same personnel as the previous year. Nothing to say they wouldn't slide into a relegation battle. Nothing technical about it group A and B are in the same championship with different rules."
Would you mind sharing which club you're from? You're the first person I've heard say that our current format which has been one of the county's biggest success stories since its introduction in 2018 isn't fit for purpose.

I'm genuinely interested in understanding your perspective, so knowing your club would help me see where you're coming from. Everyone I've spoken to across the north, south, east, and west of the county feels that the current structure is working well and doesn't believe change is necessary.

Temple56 (National) - 14/02/2026 15:43:50