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Westmeath Football thread

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Replying To Claretandblue: "From the starting fifteen only the following have played senior championship with their clubs: Jason Macken, Eoghan Bracken, Tadhg Baker, Darragh Lowry, Brian Cooney, Ronan Hanley, not sure that constitutes grounds for optimism at the start of a campaign with the toughest possible draw, Potentially both Leinster finalists." Shane Ormsby and Ronan Murray were both playing in the final round game I watched between Shamrocks and Moate. Don't disagree with the sentiment though. jamsie (Westmeath) - Posts: 443 - 04/04/2024 15:35:34 2535637 Link
Off the u20s starting team, Monaghan, Daly, Lowry, Macken, Baker, Bracken, Cooney, Hanley, Murray and Ormsby started last group game last year that's 10, O'Donovan that came on started with Caulry, the sub keeper started with Kinnegad played the county final last year. Other starters were Keane, Duncan and Corcoran all started with there intermediate teams and S.Bracken the only outlier played with St.lomans seconds team. So about 11/12 starters on senior teams and 7/8 on intermediate teams, 1or 2 with junior teams, 2 or 3 with second teams and 3-4 lads who cannot play adult football because u-18. The strength and depth isn't there and the conditioning is not something Damien Gavin has any real control over thats the county board, underage development systems, Senior development systems. All the players who played minor in 2022 and 2023 have they been looked after in the county? and put into programs to develop them, the answer is no, then they turn up at an u20 trial in January and expected to be good enough and picked. Its ok for the lads who were on it the previous year and those who start for the bigger senior teams are getting exposed to it, all the u18 years this year are now in Limbo because there still minor and our u20s will suffer because of that. PowellJohn3 (Westmeath) - Posts: 33 - 04/04/2024 15:58:33 2535644 Link
I suppose my argument was that in terms of senior championship experience it's not a huge level. Add in that they're not playing in those positions at club level which is understandable. Shane Ormsby was wing forward, Tadhg Baker wing back for club championship last year, this group of players had limited minor success, impossible to see how people expected a lengthy campaign with draw they had. Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 1501 - 04/04/2024 16:13:10 2535656 Link
The big problem with our underage structures is quite simple.....The county board got rid of the combination Premier championship a number of years ago...under the pressure of the bigger clubs such as Lomans, Shamrocks,The Downs, Athlone etc because these clubs thought they had a given right to be winning underage titles...Teams like St Finians, Clann Braonain, Shannon Gaels,Inny Shamrocks etc etc were made up the best players of the clubs joined. When the county board stopped these competitions the quality of players, games ad competitions reduced. The best players from the clubs were playing at a higher standard against the best players in the county which improved them and made them ready and competitive against other cojnties...Back in 1995 and 1999.. the underage glory years...these premier competitions were in full flow and a huge benefit to the county underage set up... This is a reality. We are not even competing now at Underage which is so sad.. gti (Westmeath) - Posts: 240 - 04/04/2024 23:37:58 2535724 Link
Replying To gti: "The big problem with our underage structures is quite simple.....The county board got rid of the combination Premier championship a number of years ago...under the pressure of the bigger clubs such as Lomans, Shamrocks,The Downs, Athlone etc because these clubs thought they had a given right to be winning underage titles...Teams like St Finians, Clann Braonain, Shannon Gaels,Inny Shamrocks etc etc were made up the best players of the clubs joined. When the county board stopped these competitions the quality of players, games ad competitions reduced. The best players from the clubs were playing at a higher standard against the best players in the county which improved them and made them ready and competitive against other cojnties...Back in 1995 and 1999.. the underage glory years...these premier competitions were in full flow and a huge benefit to the county underage set up... This is a reality. We are not even competing now at Underage which is so sad.." The county minors lost to Louth by 2 points and to Kildare this week by 3, hardly equates to not even competing as you claim. Inny Shamrocks are still a team according to underage tables, St. Finian's included The Downs but you claim they're one of the so called big clubs that don't want these teams? Tubberclair have been in last two minor finals as a sole club, they'd hardly want to amalgamate, Shandonagh are the current under 15 champions and who would they need to amalgamate with??? Athlone haven't won an underage div 1 championship in at least 5-6 years, how would they fare against amalgamated sides? Shamrocks won the minor last year, it was their first div 1 title in at least 5-6 years, we're not winning Leinster minor titles but two victories in 100 years is hardly a glorious run, Laois, Meath, Louth, Offaly, not exactly overrun with Leinster minor titles either in last 30 years, Dublin and Kildare domination which is almost impossible to prevent based on population. Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 1501 - 05/04/2024 09:25:53 2535767 Link
It was Inny Gaels back in early 2000s. Different combination of clubs than Inny Shamrock's. They won 2 premier titles. It was CFCW-Ballycomoyle-Bunbrosna - St Fintans/Multyfarnham Jack_Sparrow (Westmeath) - Posts: 1018 - 05/04/2024 11:48:26 2535793 Link
Replying To Jack_Sparrow: "It was Inny Gaels back in early 2000s. Different combination of clubs than Inny Shamrock's. They won 2 premier titles. It was CFCW-Ballycomoyle-Bunbrosna - St Fintans/Multyfarnham" yeah they won minor in 2000 & 2001. Narrowly lost the 2002 final, going for 3 in a row. They were very strong. jamsie (Westmeath) - Posts: 443 - 05/04/2024 12:50:33 2535807 Link
Replying To Claretandblue: "I suppose my argument was that in terms of senior championship experience it's not a huge level. Add in that they're not playing in those positions at club level which is understandable. Shane Ormsby was wing forward, Tadhg Baker wing back for club championship last year, this group of players had limited minor success, impossible to see how people expected a lengthy campaign with draw they had." This won't be helped by the fact an U18 isn't allowed play adult football. A lot of those players won't be exposed to the physicality until they are 19 or even 20, if they were in an senior club setup they would probably be getting a lot more s&C and conditioning also. TigerWoods90 (Westmeath) - Posts: 142 - 05/04/2024 13:20:13 2535814 Link
Looking at the draw for this years Leinster Under 20 championship, there is a subsidiary competition for counties which do not make the knockout stages. However in the event of them not making the knockout stages,Dublin, Meath and Kildare were excluded from competing in this which would say to me that this was a type of informal seeding. Why then were Westmeath included in a group of three which included two of those counties rather than having one of them in each group. For some reason also this year the development leagues were not held. Previously those leagues provided games against stiff opposition such as Armagh, Monaghan, Cavan, in the run up to the championship. richardceann1 (Westmeath) - Posts: 5 - 05/04/2024 14:42:34 2535842 Link
Replying To gti: "The big problem with our underage structures is quite simple.....The county board got rid of the combination Premier championship a number of years ago...under the pressure of the bigger clubs such as Lomans, Shamrocks,The Downs, Athlone etc because these clubs thought they had a given right to be winning underage titles...Teams like St Finians, Clann Braonain, Shannon Gaels,Inny Shamrocks etc etc were made up the best players of the clubs joined. When the county board stopped these competitions the quality of players, games ad competitions reduced. The best players from the clubs were playing at a higher standard against the best players in the county which improved them and made them ready and competitive against other cojnties...Back in 1995 and 1999.. the underage glory years...these premier competitions were in full flow and a huge benefit to the county underage set up... This is a reality. We are not even competing now at Underage which is so sad.." Where would a combined teams competition fit in the calendar? Garrycastle were amalgamated with Maryland/Tang recently and Athlone regularly play in Division 2 so it's unlikely the traditional town teams could compete on their own. Demographics have changed with Tubberclair & Caulry being stronger with more numbers than town teams. The Downs, Shandonagh, Killucan & Kinnegad have all won minor Division 1 in the last 10 years and are all strong enough to compete on their own. Wmeath2 (Westmeath) - Posts: 176 - 05/04/2024 17:41:53 2535897 Link
I love how every week everybody here bashes Dessie for not releasing his team early, this week team released on Friday and not a word from anybody Tailteannchamps (Westmeath) - Posts: 20 - 06/04/2024 12:17:00 2535992 Link
A potential banana skin tomorrow but am confident. Interesting team named tomorrow. A very strong bench on paper. Will it be the team that starts. Upforthegame23 (Westmeath) - Posts: 82 - 06/04/2024 13:26:50 2536007 Link
Replying To Tailteannchamps: "I love how every week everybody here bashes Dessie for not releasing his team early, this week team released on Friday and not a word from anybody" Why would anyone complain this week if the team is named early? Isn't that precisely the point everyone had been making! TigerWoods90 (Westmeath) - Posts: 142 - 06/04/2024 14:12:00 2536020 Link
It's never the team that starts anyway. Personally It doesn't worry me. Jack_Sparrow (Westmeath) - Posts: 1018 - 06/04/2024 14:31:28 2536024 Link
Hopefully Heslin starts tomorrow. Be good to see Wallace and Jack Smith get good minutes too we will need full strength to beat both Kildare and Louth. Interesting to see no Kieran Martin in Squad he was visibly unhappy with management after not getting game time last week. Thought the management made the right call as it probably wasn't the game that would have suited him Temple56 (Westmeath) - Posts: 390 - 06/04/2024 16:05:49 2536050 Link
Should win by 8 to 10pts, why isn't Kieran Martin in 26, he warmed up in league final for most of the second halfbut didn't get minutes Hogan80 (Westmeath) - Posts: 1 - 06/04/2024 16:08:20 2536052 Link
There will be at least two changes to the named team. I wouldn't be surprised if Jack Smith starts. I'd say Martin will be in the squad. I'd say the aim is to have Heslin, Wallace and Maguire ready to start against Kildare if they can win tomorrow.. Matthew (None) - Posts: 1007 - 06/04/2024 21:12:41 2536103 Link
WOW CleanShoulder (Westmeath) - Posts: 270 - 07/04/2024 17:30:13 2536234 Link
I think Dessie got it all wrong with team selection and tactics, players didn't perform anywhere near their best either, bad day at the office Tailteannchamps (Westmeath) - Posts: 20 - 07/04/2024 17:44:13 2536242 Link
Scandalous dakid (Australia) - Posts: 285 - 07/04/2024 17:54:44 2536249 Link