Having got a taste for top-tier hurling in 2006, Westmeath will be going all out to reclaim their place in the Liam McCarthy Cup after last year's relegation heartache, according to outgoing team captain John Shaw. While relegation back to the Christy Ring Cup ultimately proved to be their lot last year, there is little doubt that the Westmeath hurlers benefited greatly from their time in the top flight and will want to get back to that level as quickly as possible. After being crowned inaugural winners of the Christy Ring Cup in 2005, Westmeath heralded their return to the Leinster championship with a sensational 0-13 to 0-11 victory over Dublin in rain-drenched Portlaoise. That set the scene for a glamour provincial semi-final clash with All-Ireland champions-elect Kilkenny at Cusack Park. In front of 7,000 spectators, Seamus Qualter's men once again performed admirably before succumbing to a 1-9 to 1-23 defeat. Another battling display against Waterford in the All-Ireland qualifiers followed, but a costly defeat to Laois in their next game left Westmeath facing the prospect of relegation and this was confirmed when Dublin exacted revenge with a 0-16 to 0-8 win on a sweltering hot Saturday in Tullamore. "We were very disappointed to go down, especially after beating Dublin and giving a decent account of ourselves against both Kilkenny and Waterford," admits stylish half back John Shaw, who captained Westmeath for the past two years. "The games in Cusack Park against Kilkenny and Waterford were special occasions, but we then went and let ourselves down against Laois. If we had performed anywhere close to our potential, we would have won that game and stayed up. "We lost heavily to Galway in our next game in Pearse Stadium, and it was always going to be difficult to beat Dublin the second time around, especially as we were missing both Darren McCormack and Barry Kennedy. "Overall, though, it was an enjoyable year and we want to experience it again in 2008. But for that to happen, we have to win the Christy Ring Cup again this year and that won't be an easy task," he adds. The Mullingar-based estate agent is in no doubt that Westmeath are a better team as a result of their time in the Liam McCarthy Cup. "We learned a few harsh lessons which will hopefully stand us in good stead in the future. You've got to remember that it was our first time to come up against top-class opposition and it was a huge step-up for all of us. At that level, the crunch games have to be won and we found that out to our cost," he says. The highlight of Westmeath's year was undoubtedly the Leinster championship victory over Dublin. "Beating them was even better than winning the Christy Ring Cup because they always seemed to have the edge on us in previous games. The fact that the match was shown live on TV only added to our sense of satisfaction." Just a few days earlier, the Westmeath captain had failed to receive an invite to the launch of the 2006 Guinness hurling championship and this dreadful oversight by the sponsors provided ample motivation for the underdogs, who came from behind to beat Dublin in the championship for the first time since 1982. The Metropolitans led by 0-3 to 0-1 after 10 minutes, and had stretched their advantage to three points by the interval. But with Andrew Mitchell in unerring form from placed balls and Darren McCormack producing a heroic performance at centre back, Westmeath came roaring back in the second half to win by two points. Shaw feels Westmeath may have got "distracted" following the visits of hurling aristocrats Kilkenny and Waterford to Mullingar, and this left them in a somewhat vulnerable state heading into the crunch game against Laois. "In hindsight, we might have been guilty of taking our eye off the ball after the Kilkenny and Waterford games. There was a lot of hype and media interest at the time and this was all new to us. We got a bit distracted and we probably should have concentrated more on Laois because that was always going to be the game that would determine whether we stayed up or went down." Westmeath started brightly with Darren McCormack's shot from 65 metres going all the way to the Laois net to give them a 1-1 to 0-2 lead after 11 minutes. Two frees from man of the match James Young and another point from Mark Rooney had the visitors ahead by the 20th minute, only for Barry Kennedy and Derek McNicholas to restore Westmeath's lead. But a controversial Rooney goal in the 34th minute saw Laois lead by 1-7 to 1-5 at the interval. Andrew Mitchell reduced the deficit to the minimum following the restart, but then came the decisive score when Young blasted a 30-metre free to the net to put daylight between the sides for the first time. Three Mitchell frees saw Westmeath reduce the gap to two points with five minutes of normal time to go, but six points from Young and another from half back Michael McEvoy in the time remaining eased the O'Moore County to victory and Derek McNicholas' late goal was no more than a consolation score for the deflated home side. "Our confidence seemed to go after that. The Galway game proved to be a nightmare as not only did we lose badly, but we lost Barry Kennedy to a red card early on and Darren McCormack with a cruciate ligament injury. It was always going to be hard to lift ourselves after that, and so it proved," the Raharney clubman explains. Westmeath manager Seamus Qualter recently pulled off a major coup by securing the services of Johnny Dooley as team trainer. Shaw has been highly impressed with the Offaly legend's training methods and he also feels the squad has been strengthened by the addition of several new players. "It's great to have someone of Johnny Dooley's calibre coaching you. He's won every honour in the game and knows what's required to be successful. "The early signs are promising and I also think that we will have a strong squad this year. There have been no retirements and both Killian Cosgrave and Paddy Dowdall are back on board after missing last year. Killian was out with a knee injury and Paddy was abroad with the army. "A number of young players have also drafted in, including Niall Kilcoyne, Robbie Jackson and the two Prices, Adam and Owen. I definitely feel these guys have the potential to make it." John reveals that Westmeath have two objectives for 2007, and they both involve winning promotion. "Our first aim this year is to get promoted in the league. We want to get into the Division 2 final and win it. Not playing in Division 1 has been a big drawback for us over the past few years and we want to put that right this year. "What is even more important is that we win the Christy Ring Cup. I can see no reason why we can't bounce back from last year's disappointment, but having said that, we won't be taking anything for granted. Ultimately, we want to get above the level Dublin and Laois are currently at. We need to produce last year's performance against Dublin on a more consistent basis and that is what we are working towards," he concludes. Tweet

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