National Forum

Westmeath Football thread

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To Claretandblue:  "Both Mullingar sides making the knockouts is a major doubt. The Downs will surely beat Caulry and Garrycastle which will give them six points and any kind of result against Shamrocks gives them seven, six will prob be enough to qualify, Loman's and Shamrocks will need a result against Coralstown Kinnegad who are arguably the championship favourites based on displays so far, by all reports they were better side against The Downs, score difference could be crucial with so many draws. What's happened to Multy? Two double digit beatings so far and they haven't faced Shandonagh yet, they're almost already relegated unless they beat Milltownpass."
I dont buy into the CK hype, people had them as champions after the first round, The Downs with all their players back will win the championship, Shamrocks will beat Garrycastle and Kinnegad and Lomans will beat Caulry ,Garrycastle and Kinnegad. 7 points for both will be enough The Downs will finish on 8 points. Multy would be better heading for the B section, if the rules remains the same for next season they will have an easier route to the knockout stage..

dec (None) - Posts: 314 - 10/08/2026 11:37:21    2689287

Link

Replying To Claretandblue:  "Both Mullingar sides making the knockouts is a major doubt. The Downs will surely beat Caulry and Garrycastle which will give them six points and any kind of result against Shamrocks gives them seven, six will prob be enough to qualify, Loman's and Shamrocks will need a result against Coralstown Kinnegad who are arguably the championship favourites based on displays so far, by all reports they were better side against The Downs, score difference could be crucial with so many draws. What's happened to Multy? Two double digit beatings so far and they haven't faced Shandonagh yet, they're almost already relegated unless they beat Milltownpass."
With multy it could be a fitness issue. They were level with miltown with 15 minutes to go and and only 2 down to malachys and ended up being beaten by double digits in both

DanGer966 (Westmeath) - Posts: 52 - 10/08/2026 12:02:29    2689292

Link

Replying To PowellJohn3:  "went to a few of the games this weekend, first game was Garrycastle and Caulry which was a poor enough showing both teams lacking a punch, Sean brennan, Mark mccalon and Nugent the standouts for Garrycastle and Doyle for caulry was a bright spark. Garrycastle maybe fortunite to win but still got the job done. Garrycastle need james dolan back fit if going to get through.
MTP vs Maclachys was the game of the weekend, end to end Malchys down by 12/13 at one stage, Morgan gavigan was very good. MTP looked slick and deadly at times and carved malachys down the middle, where Malachys ground out scores maybe the draw was a fair result.
Tubberclare vs Tyrellspass was very one sided, the pace was the real difference this could have been more than 17 points victory, there was another 3-4 goal chances that hyland saved who scored 6 points himself for frees. they were on top all over the field and 4 big men across the middle 3rd, also spotted Matthew Whitaker doing the warm up so cant be fair away and Tighe heavily strapped and didnt feature, these 2 will surely come back in and give them even more speed and experience. Tyrellspass were down Gonoud and glennen which made a huge difference as depth maybe isnt there anymore like it used to.
Lomans Shamrocks- again second time seeing lomans and they havent blown me away on paper they look scary, a few times it looks like there about to spark but in general they should have seen it out earlier. Shamrocks youth have given them more legs i dont think they will be fair away but not sure if they have enough to win it either. Only 3 going through out of top group i feel was a huge mistake, even intermiediate when u see the top 4 theres only a kick of a ball in it as we seen 2 draws with the top 4 in both grades."
In relation to the Loamsn Shamrocks game, I think either team had the chance to win. You'd have put your life on Heslin to hit that free, but Geurn missed an easy hand pass over the bar. Buckley was solid, and he was hitting frees very well until the last one. Cox and Dempsey had a few other chances, especially Cox's at the very end, but I think the Shamrocks will be happy with a draw. There's a lot of pressure on the Downs to get a win on Saturday in the park; if they lose, things will be very hard for them. However, they'll have the two weaker teams at the moment in the last rounds.

TheWagonWheel-N91Y529 (Westmeath) - Posts: 9 - 10/08/2026 12:08:03    2689293

Link

Replying To dec:  "I dont buy into the CK hype, people had them as champions after the first round, The Downs with all their players back will win the championship, Shamrocks will beat Garrycastle and Kinnegad and Lomans will beat Caulry ,Garrycastle and Kinnegad. 7 points for both will be enough The Downs will finish on 8 points. Multy would be better heading for the B section, if the rules remains the same for next season they will have an easier route to the knockout stage.."
Multy will definitely be heading to the B, I can't see them getting near Shandonagh. That said, I don't think Milltown are overly special-a few high balls into J. Boyce got them going, and missing from being six down at half-time. I think Milltown lack a bit of depth, and any injury to Duncan, Boyce, Murtagh, Dillon, or Gibney will make it very hard for them to replace those positions. Thought Multy were a bit wasteful with keeping the ball, but the conditions were greasy.

TheWagonWheel-N91Y529 (Westmeath) - Posts: 9 - 10/08/2026 12:11:00    2689295

Link

Replying To dec:  "Fair play to Shamrocks for the fight back last night and probably should have won it at the end, a good young side they will be a force over the next few years. They played well in patches, overall i thought it was a poor enough match, Shamrocks were very slow in their buildup, they got turned over a lot of times, Ormsby was good at times at midfield but got turned over to often he needs to keep a hold of that ball, Lomans won more breaking ball, how Shamrocks left Efe on Heslin all match is hard to understand as Heslin was cleaning up. Buckley shoul dbe our new county goalkeeper, a strong keeper who is able to kick 2 pointers, unlucky to see the 45 go wide at the end. Mikey Weir was good for Lomans, Both sides will make the knockouts..."
Thought Efe did well; he got a goal. Loamns went route one the majority of the time to Heslin, and Heslin is superb in the air. Any back in the county, bar Drumm, would struggle big time to mark him in the air one-on-one.

TheWagonWheel-N91Y529 (Westmeath) - Posts: 9 - 10/08/2026 12:14:31    2689296

Link

Replying To dec:  "I dont buy into the CK hype, people had them as champions after the first round, The Downs with all their players back will win the championship, Shamrocks will beat Garrycastle and Kinnegad and Lomans will beat Caulry ,Garrycastle and Kinnegad. 7 points for both will be enough The Downs will finish on 8 points. Multy would be better heading for the B section, if the rules remains the same for next season they will have an easier route to the knockout stage.."
Downs winning definitely not a foregone conclusion, CK looked far the better side missed an awful lot. The downs missing O sullivan and lynam big loss but they will find it hard to get the big 3 up to championship pace after 3 tough injuries. Top 4 teams fairly even but i CK and a full downs will be 50 50 later in year

Ayardout (Westmeath) - Posts: 25 - 10/08/2026 12:25:27    2689297

Link

Replying To Ayardout:  "Downs winning definitely not a foregone conclusion, CK looked far the better side missed an awful lot. The downs missing O sullivan and lynam big loss but they will find it hard to get the big 3 up to championship pace after 3 tough injuries. Top 4 teams fairly even but i CK and a full downs will be 50 50 later in year"
Surely we are all mature enough to know after two rounds no team is a foregone conclusion to win a championship, Loman's and The Downs have looked in trouble in previous years but end up there when it matters. I think bar Caulry and Garrycastle any of those teams could reach a final with the right draw which is possible under the new format.

On Multy, I'm not sure how people are surprised they struggle. What evidence is there to suggest they'd get to the knockout stages ahead of the other four teams who I feel are well ahead of them.

Senior section B is very tight and any team could still come out although Tang with two losses are certainly under pressure to beat Moate or you'd imagine they're out.

DelaneyCup2026 (Westmeath) - Posts: 21 - 10/08/2026 13:09:06    2689307

Link

Replying To DelaneyCup2026:  "Surely we are all mature enough to know after two rounds no team is a foregone conclusion to win a championship, Loman's and The Downs have looked in trouble in previous years but end up there when it matters. I think bar Caulry and Garrycastle any of those teams could reach a final with the right draw which is possible under the new format.

On Multy, I'm not sure how people are surprised they struggle. What evidence is there to suggest they'd get to the knockout stages ahead of the other four teams who I feel are well ahead of them.

Senior section B is very tight and any team could still come out although Tang with two losses are certainly under pressure to beat Moate or you'd imagine they're out."
Tpass are in a bit of bother too. I reckon that one point against Killucan will go in their favour but losing that heavily won't be good for the confidence. Anyone know if Peter Clarke was playing against Tubberclair

TheWagonWheel-N91Y529 (Westmeath) - Posts: 9 - 10/08/2026 13:54:20    2689312

Link

Replying To DelaneyCup2026:  "Surely we are all mature enough to know after two rounds no team is a foregone conclusion to win a championship, Loman's and The Downs have looked in trouble in previous years but end up there when it matters. I think bar Caulry and Garrycastle any of those teams could reach a final with the right draw which is possible under the new format.

On Multy, I'm not sure how people are surprised they struggle. What evidence is there to suggest they'd get to the knockout stages ahead of the other four teams who I feel are well ahead of them.

Senior section B is very tight and any team could still come out although Tang with two losses are certainly under pressure to beat Moate or you'd imagine they're out."
Watching Tang yesterday they have no chance of qualifying, their game versus Tyrrellspass a relegation match almost, they also have to play Tubberclair and Moate, their discipline yesterday was again shocking, in relation to Multy no one is saying they were championship contenders but to be -23 on score difference before they face Shandonagh and Milltownpass suggests well below expectations performances. They lost the second half yesterday by 18 points.

Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 2739 - 10/08/2026 15:24:59    2689328

Link

Replying To TheWagonWheel-N91Y529:  "Tpass are in a bit of bother too. I reckon that one point against Killucan will go in their favour but losing that heavily won't be good for the confidence. Anyone know if Peter Clarke was playing against Tubberclair"
Missing P Clarke, J Gonoude and a half dozen others

jfd (Westmeath) - Posts: 259 - 10/08/2026 17:44:22    2689351

Link

The change to the structure this year is such a terrible decision for so many reasons. It was perfect the way it was.
Whoever initiated it needs to swallow their pride and go back to the way it was next year.

mul (Westmeath) - Posts: 24 - 10/08/2026 19:43:22    2689366

Link

Replying To mul:  "The change to the structure this year is such a terrible decision for so many reasons. It was perfect the way it was.
Whoever initiated it needs to swallow their pride and go back to the way it was next year."
It's far from a perfect structure and that's been well commented on here but what has been very noticeable in the opening two rounds has been the intensity and championship type tempo of the games. Teams know that losing one match could have a huge effect on qualifying so there's far greater urgency in the games. Caulry vs Garrycastle on Friday night was virtually a knockout game with both sides having lost their opening match and with tough games to come. The game was played at a great level of intensity with Caulry very unlucky. In Section A a side that could reach a county final will be eliminated, three draws out of six matches played suggests teams realise the importance of not losing early on, structure likely to be tweaked again next year but doubtful if scenario of four teams qualifying out of six will be reintroduced. Teams qualifying with one win out of five games hardly what supporters wish to see.

Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 2739 - 10/08/2026 21:47:40    2689371

Link

Replying To Claretandblue:  "It's far from a perfect structure and that's been well commented on here but what has been very noticeable in the opening two rounds has been the intensity and championship type tempo of the games. Teams know that losing one match could have a huge effect on qualifying so there's far greater urgency in the games. Caulry vs Garrycastle on Friday night was virtually a knockout game with both sides having lost their opening match and with tough games to come. The game was played at a great level of intensity with Caulry very unlucky. In Section A a side that could reach a county final will be eliminated, three draws out of six matches played suggests teams realise the importance of not losing early on, structure likely to be tweaked again next year but doubtful if scenario of four teams qualifying out of six will be reintroduced. Teams qualifying with one win out of five games hardly what supporters wish to see."
I'd agree with your last sentence, but I doubt very much if that was the main reason forchanging the system. I think most people would believe that the clubs that supported the change, some of whom were well represented on the county executive, were motivated mainly by self-interest.

midlands (Westmeath) - Posts: 647 - 11/08/2026 09:07:00    2689398

Link

Condolences to Mark McHugh on the sad news his brother was killed in a Car Crash in Cavan yesterday, a great footballer himself was Jim.
RIP

Corofin123 (Westmeath) - Posts: 27 - 11/08/2026 09:48:15    2689401

Link

Replying To Claretandblue:  "It's far from a perfect structure and that's been well commented on here but what has been very noticeable in the opening two rounds has been the intensity and championship type tempo of the games. Teams know that losing one match could have a huge effect on qualifying so there's far greater urgency in the games. Caulry vs Garrycastle on Friday night was virtually a knockout game with both sides having lost their opening match and with tough games to come. The game was played at a great level of intensity with Caulry very unlucky. In Section A a side that could reach a county final will be eliminated, three draws out of six matches played suggests teams realise the importance of not losing early on, structure likely to be tweaked again next year but doubtful if scenario of four teams qualifying out of six will be reintroduced. Teams qualifying with one win out of five games hardly what supporters wish to see."
How often did teams qualify with 1group win over the 10 years that the system was in? Not often I'd imagine. Now we have a system where the 9th best team qualify and the 4th, 5th and 6th are all out? I think supporters would much rather the old system, as clearly voiced on this forum all summer long.

tparker120 (Westmeath) - Posts: 2 - 11/08/2026 09:58:35    2689403

Link

Replying To jfd:  "Missing P Clarke, J Gonoude and a half dozen others"
I did hear there was a wedding that might have affected the team, but it's a tough start for the new management.

TheWagonWheel-N91Y529 (Westmeath) - Posts: 9 - 11/08/2026 10:02:33    2689406

Link

Replying To Corofin123:  "Condolences to Mark McHugh on the sad news his brother was killed in a Car Crash in Cavan yesterday, a great footballer himself was Jim.
RIP"
apologies, his uncle.

Corofin123 (Westmeath) - Posts: 27 - 11/08/2026 10:04:13    2689407

Link

Replying To Claretandblue:  "It's far from a perfect structure and that's been well commented on here but what has been very noticeable in the opening two rounds has been the intensity and championship type tempo of the games. Teams know that losing one match could have a huge effect on qualifying so there's far greater urgency in the games. Caulry vs Garrycastle on Friday night was virtually a knockout game with both sides having lost their opening match and with tough games to come. The game was played at a great level of intensity with Caulry very unlucky. In Section A a side that could reach a county final will be eliminated, three draws out of six matches played suggests teams realise the importance of not losing early on, structure likely to be tweaked again next year but doubtful if scenario of four teams qualifying out of six will be reintroduced. Teams qualifying with one win out of five games hardly what supporters wish to see."
Even if you think it's a bonus that the intensity is increased in the early rounds, you will end up with a situation where there are a couple of teams in the A sections of senior and intermediate that are eliminated with games left to play. How much intensity do you think they'll bring to games that mean nothing to them?

And, if they did decide to keep this structure next year, (which they won't if they have any sense) it may be more beneficial for those teams to drop to section B and have 3 knockout spots available in a weaker group next year.

From the moment it was announced everybody could see it was an awful structure. The other proposals they had were roundly rejected and they opted for something even worse than any of those.

anon (None) - Posts: 366 - 11/08/2026 10:32:05    2689416

Link

Neutral here but I can't get my head around the structure change.

Surely if you wanted 3 coming out of each group you keep the 2 groups of 6 but have 3 from the current Section A and 3 from the Current Section B in each group?

So for example;
Group A:
The Downs
Shamrocks
Garrycastle
Athlone
Tyrrellspass
Killucan

Group B:
Lomans
Kinnegad
Caulry
Tubberclair
Moate
Tang

Winner of each group straight through to semi finals. 2 v 3 from each group in quarter finals. Bottom of each play each other in relegation playoff

Ros13 (Roscommon) - Posts: 134 - 11/08/2026 11:21:43    2689427

Link

Replying To Claretandblue:  "Watching Tang yesterday they have no chance of qualifying, their game versus Tyrrellspass a relegation match almost, they also have to play Tubberclair and Moate, their discipline yesterday was again shocking, in relation to Multy no one is saying they were championship contenders but to be -23 on score difference before they face Shandonagh and Milltownpass suggests well below expectations performances. They lost the second half yesterday by 18 points."
Tang are certs to go down. Tyrrellspass will beat them easily and that will end up being off the back of two bad beatings by Moate and Tubberclair in Cusack Park, where they have a very poor record. Against Killucan, the amount of ball they just kicked and passed away was criminal at this level. You wouldn't even call them turnovers. They were giveaways. Their indiscipline at this stage is just pure stupidity. For grown men to continually engage in it and not learn a single thing week after week, they deserve to go down. Teams know this playing them and they know they will rise to the bait every time and they do. Another red card for them when the game was practically over for a player who must at this stage have been sent off in every championship campaign since they returned to senior. A stupid reaction to a player celebrating a goal in his face. Against Athlone they gave away four frees in the first half alone, for dissent and breaches. You just can't be doing that and be expecting to get anywhere. They have a couple of very good forwards in Jack Keenan and Shane Hanley who can get them great scores and wouldn't look out of place in any team but they can't get on ball in the forward line if the team can't win ball around the middle or are kicking it away to the opposition further back the pitch.

mintyfresh (Westmeath) - Posts: 297 - 11/08/2026 12:13:06    2689440

Link