A first Fr Manning Cup victory in seven years proved to be the highlight of what was a poignant year for the Westmeath under 16 football team. Just like their minor counterparts, the Westmeath under 16 footballers had to deal with the tragic loss of one of their team-mates in 2006. The death of rising dual star Niall Keegan following a swimming accident on the evening of July 17 deeply affected both the Westmeath under 16 football and hurling squads, of which he was an integral member. Niall had lined out at half forward in the early rounds of the Gerry Reilly Memorial tournament in Oldcastle before his life was tragically taken from him. Niall's death came just a few short months after that of county minor football star and fellow The Downs player Darren Price, who was fatally injured in a car accident. Like Darren, Niall was a hugely popular young man who had a big career ahead of him in both football and hurling. Niall will never be forgotten by those who knew him and Westmeath under 16 football captain Conor Lynam was quick to dedicate his side's Fr Manning Cup victory to him. The Fr Manning Cup success proved to be the highlight of what was both a successful and poignant year for Westmeath who also reached the Gerry Reilly Cup final and the semi-final of the Leinster 'A' competition. Under the tutelage of Tubberclair's John Fagan - who managed Westmeath to Leinster minor and under 21 final appearances in 1992 and '95 respectively - and his selectors Johnny Murray (The Downs) and Danny Sammon (Tubberclair), the Lake County side showed much promise for the future and hopes are high that they will be force to be reckoned with at minor level in two years' time. The management team was assisted by Castledaly's Kieran Galvin, who acted as team coordinator. As usual, Westmeath were first into action in the Gerry Reilly Memorial tournament. Gilson Park in Oldcastle has proven to be a happy hunting ground for the Lake County down the years and it proved to be the case once again when they opened their campaign in late June with a 2-14 to 1-2 victory over Cavan. After losing heavily to the Breffni County in the same competition in 2005, Westmeath were obviously keen to exact revenge and a 12th minute goal by corner forward John Egan helped them to a 1-9 to 0-7 interval advantage. Westmeath extended their lead to seven points after the restart when Tubberclair's Ian Coffey finished to the net after Niall Keegan's fisted attempt came back off the crossbar. Cavan refused to throw in the towel, however, and came storming back to reduce the deficit to the minimum before three late points from the outstanding Coffey and another from substitute Adrian Gilmore sealed a 2-14 to 1-12 victory for John Fagan's side. Westmeath booked their place in the final a week later when they withstood a typical Meath comeback to hold on for a 2-14 to 2-13 win. The visitors were utterly dominant in the opening quarter and had posted five unanswered points before the Royals eventually opened their account. Midway through the half, team captain Conor Lynam and Coffey both found the net to ease Westmeath into a 2-7 to 0-2 lead. Meath outscored the visitors five points to two in the second quarter, but still trailed by eight at half-time. Despite the huge deficit, Meath were undaunted and staged a great comeback which cut Westmeath's lead to just one point. Man of the match Lynam replied with a crucial point to give Westmeath some breathing space and although Mark Collins responded for Meath, the visitors held on for victory. With both teams having already qualified for the final, Westmeath and Dublin were in experimental mode when they met in the final group match at a wet and windy Gilson Park. Despite playing against the wind in the first half, Westmeath led by 0-5 to 0-3 at the interval, but Dublin - who were managed by former Meath star Gerry McEntee - fought back to win by 1-8 to 0-6. Owing to Niall Keegan's tragic death, the final was postponed by a week as a mark of respect. Westmeath, who were minus the services of Ian Coffey, looked totally disjointed in the early stages and the concession of three goals in the opening 12 minutes meant there was no way back against the dominant Metropolitans who triumphed on a 4-13 to 1-8 scoreline. With right corner forward Ciaran Dorney running amok, Dublin had opened up a 3-4 to 0-2 lead by the end of the first quarter. Westmeath were given a glimmer of hope when Thomas McDaniel fisted a goal but a missed penalty by Conor Lynam proved costly as Dublin took a 4-7 to 1-8 lead into the break. Although the beleaguered Westmeath defence tightened up considerably in the second period, Dublin's big lead never came under threat as they eased to their third Gerry Reilly Cup success. Before the Gerry Reilly final, Westmeath had already opened their Fr Manning Cup campaign with wins over Offaly and Leitrim. The meeting with Leitrim in Boornacoola was a farcically one-sided affair with the visitors cantering to a 2-21 to 0-4 victory. Conor Lynam produced another inspired display by landing 0-11, while John Egan with 1-4 and Sam Norton with 1-1 also made their mark. Longford provided much sterner opposition for John Fagan's charges when they visited the St. Loman's grounds for the third round clash. Two goals immediately before half-time from Thomas McDaniel and John Egan were crucial to the Maroons' victory. Longford, who had trailed by five points at the break, applied strong pressure in the second half but despite the referee playing nine minutes of injury-time, Westmeath held firm for a 2-8 to 2-6 win. The Lake County lads suffered their only defeat of the campaign three days later when they succumbed to Roscommon by 0-10 to 1-10. A Roscommon goal in the 27th minute, which also resulted in the dismissal of Westmeath full back Adam Kennedy, proved to be the game's turning point. Westmeath bounced back to inflict a crushing 1-5 to 2-17 defeat on Sligo at Tubbercurry to reach the final. And revenge was sweet when they overcame Roscommon by 1-13 to 1-7 in an entertaining final at the Longford Slashers Grounds. An evenly contested first half saw Westmeath lead by 1-4 to 1-3 at half-time. A Cathal Shine goal in the 19th minute had put the Connacht side in the driving seat, only for St. Paul's Sam Norton to reply with a similar score for Westmeath just before the break. Roscommon drew level on the restart before Westmeath hit a purple patch which yielded six unanswered points in seven minutes which proved to be the winning of the final. Ian Coffey, Conor Lynam and David Keenan were especially prominent during this period of dominance. Roscommon pulled back two points before Westmeath cemented their victory with three from Lynam (two) and Wayne Fox. It was the Lake County's first Fr Manning Cup triumph since 1999 when the likes of Donal O'Donoghue, PJ Ward, Daniel McDermott, Finian Newman and Kenny Larkin were to the fore. Westmeath regrouped for the Leinster tournament in October and wins over Offaly, Laois and Limerick saw them qualify for the 'A' semi-final where they renewed their rivalry with Dublin. But their quest for honours came to a heartbreaking end when an injury-time point from substitute David Moher gave Dublin a 1-12 to 2-8 win. The Westmeath team which defeated Roscommon in the Fr Manning Cup final was: Joe McMahon; Ronan Farrell, Adam Kennedy, Thomas Barry; Declan Donoghue, Paul Lewis, James Dolan; David Malynn, Daryl Quinn; Wayne Fox, Sam Norton, David Keenan; Ian Coffey, Conor Lynam, Thomas McDaniel. Subs used: Kevin Mitchell and Alan Finch. Tweet

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