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The first half against down was a disaster but could be attributedto the weather to a point! Massive positive with how we finished the game and how we finished every game this year! The team have said they feel fitter this year then ever and it definitely shows! Westmeath25 (Westmeath) - Posts: 6 - 15/02/2026 15:24:56 2656555 Link
Replying To Claretandblue: "The new structure is far from perfect and it seems certain there will be further changes next year if Congress pushes All Ireland finals back, the idea that our previous structure was the envy of counties elsewhere, there were loads of championship matches last few years that were tame affairs, little of the cut and thrust associated with championship football. Shandonagh vs Tubberclair last year was a shocking advertisement for the championship." Our resident County Board man, will try put a positive spin on things when the reality is they have failed the players and Clubs time and time again. You have highlighted 1 game out of 70 + Championship games but they were not very many games last year that were dead rubber. I seem to remember all 6 teams in Section A of Senior having something to play for going into the last round, plenty of "cut and thrust" actually. If you're going to come up with a new structure, come up with a new structure that's completely fair to a tiered system. It is not as if Senior B teams were making their presence felt in the knockouts. For the last 3 years, the Senior semi finalists were made up of teams competing in Section A, except for The Downs in 2024. The decisions made to change the structures were definitely not evidence based, there is more to this than meets the eye. There was no appetite for change, the meeting at the Park Hotel should have been enough to confirm this but instead they ignore the Clubs and players and use their own votes to push through with it, it's called executive aggrandizement. This scandal further demonstrates the growing disconnect between the Board and the Clubs. It obviously dictated the mood on the team bus going to Newry yesterday going by the first half performance. It was foolish thinking we were going to see a better future for Westmeath football with the change of leadership, going nowhere fast with this Circus. iarmhiabu (Westmeath) - Posts: 302 - 15/02/2026 16:58:47 2656591 Link
Replying To Bluelake: "Weird lie. Clubs knew at least two weeks in advance the last two years who they were playing. They also knew the exact days of the weekend they were playing so people could arrange time off work etc. A lot of clubs will be out next Friday and won't know until tomorrow morning. 5 days notice is nowhere near good enough. How hard is it to send out a fixture list? the last few years it's been the same order or been flipped. But that's just a small thing in comparison to the ludicrous structure that's been passed" Ludicrous is right, the Circus continues into another year. One of the key areas to improve on in the Strategic Plan was Communication. We are in the 4th and final year of the strategic plan and Clubs can't even get a fixture 5 days out. I think Governance might have been another key area!! iarmhiabu (Westmeath) - Posts: 302 - 15/02/2026 17:07:07 2656594 Link
the meeting at the Park Hotel should have been enough to confirm this but instead they ignore the Clubs and players and use their own votes to push through with it, it's called executive aggrandizement. This scandal further demonstrates the growing disconnect between the Board and the Clubs. It obviously dictated the mood on the team bus going to Newry yesterday going by the first half performance. It was foolish thinking we were going to see a better future for Westmeath football with the change of leadership, going nowhere fast with this Circus. Thats an outrageeous statement, do you seriouly think the decision on the football championship last Thursday night had an impact on the performance in Newry. Please give the players some respect, the 2026 club championship was the last thing on the last thing on their minds. A lot of clown talk on here about the county board, keyboard warriors if you ask me. At the end of the end of the day the best team in each club championship will win. Like it or not the board are a product of the clubs, these positions are ultimately ratified by the clubs. The them and us argument is a moot point. People lashing out will that the COE will not get built either, all pub talk if you ask me. We are where we are because as a county we lack the ambition and desire to be better, end of story. Brendanj (Westmeath) - Posts: 71 - 15/02/2026 21:31:51 2656678 Link