Damien Healy is back for his 13th season of inter-county action, having had a change of heart over the Christmas period about retiring. It's good news for Westmeath fans and for the younger members of the squad who can only benefit from the Rochfortbridge man's guile and experience. It's the day before Westmeath get their 2008 National Football League campaign underway against Leinster champions Dublin, and Damien Healy is preparing for his 13th season of inter-county action. Healy isn't as fit as he usually would be at this time of the year - he only returned to training the previous week - but the very fact that he is involved and has committed himself to the cause for another year is a huge boost to his county. You see, not many Westmeath supporters had expected to see him back after he indicated late last year that he couldn't carry on because of recurring knee problems. "I was talking to Tomas (O Flatharta) last November and I told him that I had made up my mind to retire," he reveals. "I had lost a lot of cartilage in both knees and I was getting to the stage where I couldn't do training or anything like that anymore. I would probably have packed it in two years ago only for Tomas talked me round. "But over the Christmas, I met a few old team-mates and they all said the same thing, that I'd regret it if I bowed out now. I thought about what they said to me and in the end, I decided to take their advice and go back." The Rochfortbridge man owes Westmeath football absolutely nothing, yet the thrill of pulling on the maroon jersey and the chance to assist the younger squad members in their development as county footballers proved too difficult for him to resist. "Putting on the county jersey every time makes all the training and travelling worthwhile," says Damien, who has been based in Galway since 2001 and now plays his club football with Salthill/Knocknacarra. "Because of the situation with my knees, I can't stop or turn as quickly as I used to so my days playing corner back are well and truly over. I might end up playing in the forwards this year, we'll have to wait and see." He adds: "I wanted to help the young lads who have just come into the squad, and that was another reason why I came back. We've lost a lot of players since 2004 and what was very evident in the O'Byrne Cup game against Dublin was the lack of experience in the team. So hopefully I'll be able to contribute something from that point of view." Healy, who turns 32 this year, hasn't lost any of his appetite for the game and is confident that Westmeath can make an impact this year. He takes particular encouragement from the return of other seasoned campaigners such as Martin Flanagan, Michael Ennis and Donal O'Donoghue, and the early season form of Derek Heavin and Fergal Wilson who, he feels, are playing better than ever. "I think we can give a good account of ourselves and it's great to see nearly all of the boys are back to give it another crack. Derek Heavin and Fergal Wilson are playing unbelievable stuff and that bodes well for the campaign ahead. "Despite all the changes over the past couple of years, the backbone of the team is still basically the same. The likes of Rory O'Connell and Paul Conway are big losses around the middle, but David Duffy is a great prospect and in time I think he'll be one of the best midfielders in the game." Westmeath are favourites along with Roscommon to be relegated out of Division 2 of the restructured National League, but Healy believes the Lake County are capable of confounding the doubters. "People aren't expecting much of us and that's the way we like it. It was the same last year and we went out and won our first three games against Laois, Derry and Down. We have only three home games this year, but that won't bother us because some of our best performances last year were away from home. Division 2 is every bit as tough as Division 1, but I'm hopeful that we'll be able to hold our own and avoid relegation," he says. Healy explains that Westmeath's main objective for 2008 is to have a lengthy run in the Leinster championship. As in 2007, the Lake County meet Luke Dempsey's Longford in the first round with a quarter-final clash against Offaly awaiting the winners. "We haven't won a Leinster championship game since 2004 and we badly need to put that right this year. And after what happened in the second half against Longford last year, we won't need much motivation when we play them again. It was a horrible feeling coming off the pitch after we lost to them last year and none of us want to experience that again. "Everything is being geared towards the Longford game and if can get over that, we will try to build on it. As I said already, the expectations are low and that suits us down to the ground. It was a similar story two years ago and we ended up reaching the All-Ireland quarter-final, so anything is possible with this team." A county minor in 1994, Damien played on the Westmeath under 21 teams that lost Leinster finals to Offaly and Meath in 1995 and '97 respectively. He made his National League debut against Antrim in 1996 and his Leinster championship debut against Carlow in 1998. Renowned for his speed, versatility and all-round footballing ability, Healy won National League Division 2 medals in 2001 and 2003, and was an integral part of the teams that contested All-Ireland quarter-finals in 2001, 2004 and 2006. Unsurprisingly, the highlight of his county career to date was the historic Leinster championship triumph of 2004. Last year's All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Donegal marked Healy's 100th competitive appearance in a Westmeath shirt. Sadly, he failed to finish the game after suffering a recurrence of the injury that has troubled him since he fractured his kneecap in the 2003 Leinster championship replay against Meath in Portlaoise. Damien's commitment to the Westmeath team is underlined by the fact that he has travelled back and forth from Galway, where he works as a computer technician in GMIT, for training and games for the past seven years. Prior to that, he commuted from Dublin and Lisburn, Co. Antrim. "In the time I've been playing for Westmeath, I've never lived in the county. I've put up a lot of mileage over the years and at this stage, I could nearly drive from Galway with my eyes closed!" he jokes. In 2006, not long after their All-Ireland club success, Damien transferred to Salthill/Knocknacarra from St. Mary's. An intermediate championship winner with the 'Bridge in 1995 and 2004, he has been saddened by the club's demise but is confident that they can regain winning ways this year. "They went from senior to junior in the space of a year and I think a lot of the players and supporters are still trying to come to terms with that. It'll be strange to see them playing in the junior championship this year, but they've good young players coming along and I don't expect them to be down there for too long," he concludes. Tweet

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