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Westmeath Hurling thread

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "Robbie Greville, Cormac Boyle, Joey Boyle, Aonghus, Liam Varley, Jogger, Darragh Clinton, Niall O' Brien, that's 8 players who decided not to return to inter county hurling, I call those retirements, put any name you like on it but they weren't available to new manager"
Was Robbie, Aonghus, cormac, or Liam varley involved with Westmeath last year? Wouldn't exactly call them retirements

Aaron Craig was dropped, Niall Mitchell went to the football, not sure on his relationship with KOB

Davy glennon stepped away

westmeathgaa11 (Westmeath) - Posts: 347 - 10/02/2026 22:40:52    2655856

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Replying To Maroooned:  "Not so sure about the 8 or 9 retirements. K O'B said that there 'were only probably two retirements; the rest of it was just players who had come to the end of their careers'.

I think we should have held on to a few more of our highly experienced players during our 'rebuilding phase', even just as squad players, particularly being a small hurling county."
Robbie Greville, Cormac Boyle, Joey Boyle, Aonghus, Liam Varley, Jogger, Darragh Clinton, Niall O' Brien, that's 8 players who decided not to return to inter county hurling, I call those retirements, put any name you like on it but they weren't available to new manager

Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 2577 - 10/02/2026 23:05:07    2655858

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "Robbie Greville, Cormac Boyle, Joey Boyle, Aonghus, Liam Varley, Jogger, Darragh Clinton, Niall O' Brien, that's 8 players who decided not to return to inter county hurling, I call those retirements, put any name you like on it but they weren't available to new manager"
Agree whats difference comw to end carwers and retirement i agree with your statemwnt lots these will still play club

Gaaforlife2023 (Longford) - Posts: 1180 - 10/02/2026 23:12:40    2655860

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Replying To Maroooned:  "Not so sure about the 8 or 9 retirements. K O'B said that there 'were only probably two retirements; the rest of it was just players who had come to the end of their careers'.

I think we should have held on to a few more of our highly experienced players during our 'rebuilding phase', even just as squad players, particularly being a small hurling county."
2 only retirement rest end career who are they and what does that mean dont understand that statement

Gaaforlife2023 (Longford) - Posts: 1180 - 10/02/2026 23:14:54    2655862

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Replying To Loughlenegale:  "The same way everyone including you do. watch games. form an opinion"
Thats fair bur last year yes you could quwstuon i dont thi k their attiude is wrong this ywar they have improved a bit from what I heat

Gaaforlife2023 (Longford) - Posts: 1180 - 10/02/2026 23:16:03    2655863

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "John Fry, Dean Ennis, Josh Coll, Sean Jackson, Conor McKeogh, Eamonn Cunneen, Andrew Shaw, Shane Williams, Jack Gillen as an outfield player and Jack Kearney all those have never experienced inter county Div 1 hurling, likes of Peter Clarke, David Williams, Eoin Keyes have maybe a year's experience of Div 1, that's well over half the panel used on Sunday, we are in a rebuilding phase after 8-9 regulars retired. In a small hurling county with 15 clubs with the majority in rural areas what do we expect?"
Missing the point. Unless of course you believe Conor, Jack, Eamon and Co are not up to the physicality of Meath?

Sloweddie (Kilkenny) - Posts: 6 - 11/02/2026 01:00:24    2655871

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "Robbie Greville, Cormac Boyle, Joey Boyle, Aonghus, Liam Varley, Jogger, Darragh Clinton, Niall O' Brien, that's 8 players who decided not to return to inter county hurling, I call those retirements, put any name you like on it but they weren't available to new manager"
You could add Aaron Craig,Davy Glennon and Gary Greville to that list who arent there for one reason or another.OK Cormac Boyle and Clarke are gone 2 years and Varley longer but it shows the massive player turnaround.Throw in the injuries to Dara Egerton and David O Reilly and we can realize we have done quiet well in our two opening games.
I think promotion is a realistic goal but we may not do it and maintain Mcdonagh status is crucial.

jobber (Westmeath) - Posts: 1881 - 11/02/2026 08:33:41    2655877

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Replying To Sloweddie:  "Missing the point. Unless of course you believe Conor, Jack, Eamon and Co are not up to the physicality of Meath?"
Continuity and consistency are two things that are needed no different to yerselves we have 19 players gone off the panel from the 2025 playing group and it's an absolute killer when trying to build something

The reality is there has to be a period of hard before there is a period of growth and for growth to happen lads have to play games and equally management have to look at what they have and adjust to suit the playing group. Thats what I see happening on our side of the border we haven't a very big team take out Damien healy and Eoin Donegan and we are actually very small and light so they are trying to move the ball more through the hands and play a shorter game

Slowandonesided25 (Meath) - Posts: 10 - 11/02/2026 09:08:18    2655882

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "Incredible ability to form judgements on matters that are psychological or mental. No stats man could measure those two and yet you can. You're prob right in not explaining how as it would reveal the secrets of your gift. I hope you are utilising that gift in a monetary sense."
Seriously! that s your response

Loughlenegale (Westmeath) - Posts: 11 - 11/02/2026 09:15:34    2655885

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Replying To Gaaforlife2023:  "2 only retirement rest end career who are they and what does that mean dont understand that statement"
In most of life experience is a very valued commodity. Unfortunately we appear to have favoured the new brush sweeps clean approach. Most posters on here think this is a good a necessary approach. I for 1 don't agree and think we will pay heavily. Nothing on Sunday offered me any solace. The idea that as a 'small hurling county' we can afford to just so easily turn our back on players of this calibre because the ' just players who had come to the end of their careers' is mind boggling to me

Loughlenegale (Westmeath) - Posts: 11 - 11/02/2026 09:52:37    2655890

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Replying To Gaaforlife2023:  "2 only retirement rest end career who are they and what does that mean dont understand that statement"
Not saying I fully understand his statement either but I think it gives an insight into the management team being happy enough to let a number of players go as they deemed them to be at the end of their careers.

I think it is too simplistic to put it all down to retirements (or call it what you like) and make it out to be out of the control of management, when it is not the case with a number of players.

Anyway, onwards and upwards, we are off to a good start result wise with all things (or even most things) considered.

Maroooned (Westmeath) - Posts: 6 - 11/02/2026 09:55:38    2655892

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Replying To Sloweddie:  "Missing the point. Unless of course you believe Conor, Jack, Eamon and Co are not up to the physicality of Meath?"
What was your point

Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 2577 - 11/02/2026 11:04:28    2655902

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A lot of complaining already and we had been talking about giving the team a chance and to be patient!
The average age of the panel is 23, of course we are going to be lacking physicality. They are doing their best, from what I've seen they look fitter and more determined than the group of the last couple of years.
Im more than content with the start to the league, a point away to Kerry and 3 points at home to Meath in a local darby. They will continue to improve as the year goes on, Darragh Egerton will come back and shore up the defence a bit more, David O'Reilly will come back in and add extra firepower to the forward line. Darragh McCormack will be back from suspension the next day.
I also wouldn't rule out a couple of lads coming back into the panel for the Joe Mcdonagh.
Promotion is still there for us in the league, and from what I've seen these lads are more than capable of solidifying their place in the Joe Mcdonagh and building from there. The way I see it with this group and whats coming behind them, we should be aiming to be back in Liam McCarthy for 2028/2029 with a team capable of being competitive with the big guns again.

Dheen (Westmeath) - Posts: 1090 - 11/02/2026 12:08:36    2655908

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Replying To Claretandblue:  "What was your point"
You are sort of a last word man. Try read the trend it should be pretty clear

Sloweddie (Kilkenny) - Posts: 6 - 11/02/2026 12:10:18    2655909

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