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Westmeath Football thread - 7 Like(s)
Replying To Claretandblue: "League finals fixtures are all out, starting this Friday and finishing on Monday, all in Cusack Park, think one set is a triple header, doubtful that county players will be allowed to play although free weekend for county side, major disadvantage to Loman's if that's the case as they had four starters on Saturday while Kinnegad had none, should be allowed to play minimum 30 mins, Athlone have Ray Connellan and Sam Duncan unlikely to play for Milltownpass in Div 2 final regardless having hobbled off last Saturday, think that's all of county starters involved in league finals. Championship could start on weekend of 24th June if footballers draw or lose Tyrone match." Two things I can't understand re club championship:
1. Football championship is due to start the week after our footballers get knocked out of the All Ireland series. So at the moment the most likely date is the weekend of the 24th of June. That does not give clubs enough time to prepare for games with county players and it's not fair on our county players. Why can't the hurling championship be played the week after our footballers get knocked out? County Hurlers have been knocked out of championship two weeks now.
2. Can't understand how a full list of day/time/venue for each club game isn't released. Players have holidays/stags/weddings and other events to attend during the summer but can't make plans as day/time/venue of games aren't put out until 7 days before games. For example I see Meath have announced day/time/venue for every game of a their Senior, intermediate, Junior, Junior B and Junior C championships on their social media's. I understand this takes huge work for fixture secretary but it would mean a lot for players, managers and supporters who can book events around games.
Temple56 (National) - 05/06/2023 23:58:56
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Westmeath Football thread - 7 Like(s)
Absolute shambles.
After a vote this evening, where the county board delegate held the majority our championship format has been changed. I genuinely can't believe it.
Under the new structure, the 9th-ranked team overall will qualify for the quarter-finals by coming through a group while the 4th-ranked team in the championship will be knocked out. You could easily see a situation where Lomans finish 4th in Group A after facing top sides like The Downs, Shamrocks, Kinnegad and Garrycastle, while Kilcucan finish 3rd in Group B after playing teams like Moate, Tang, Athlone and Tubberclair.
How is that fair?
Not a single player I've spoken to wants this change. Can someone explain why this was pushed through and what the reasoning is? It's a real kick in the teeth for players and clubs.
If you believe I'm wrong please let me know and your reasons to why change was needed ????
I'm just fed up! County board finally had something right and then decided actually no we should change it as it's running too well.
Temple56 (National) - 12/02/2026 22:42:56
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Westmeath Football thread - 6 Like(s)
Replying To Blackjack: "No team who loses 3 matches should be allowed win a championship I think anyway. Everyone entitled to opinion." Our championship format keeps every team engaged from start to finish, with promotion and relegation ensuring no game is meaningless. Group A provides top-level clashes while Group B offers teams a real pathway to prove themselves in the knockouts. The tier system creates excitement, as every team has something to fight for, whether it's championships, survival, or just getting to the knockouts. Stronger teams get rewarded with more knockout spots, while underdogs still have the chance to upset and climb the ladder.
Even in Group A, if a team lost three games and still went on to win the championship, this only shows how competitive and balanced the championship is anyone can win if they peak at the right time. The structure guarantees fresh matchups each year, keeping the competition fair, dynamic, and exciting.
Best format in the country. No need to change it.
Temple56 (National) - 23/09/2025 10:17:26
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2022 All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Finals - 5 Like(s)
Replying To legendzxix: "Munster had 67% representation in the League Top 16 for guarantee of a qualifier spot. The highest of any province.
Munster has 50% representation in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. The highest of any province.
The 67% to 50% drop is because 2 Munster counties were drawn against each other! Some province for one province!!" Shows you how bad the All Ireland football system is that 3 Munster teams are getting to the QFs....
Temple56 (National) - 13/06/2022 12:51:51
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Westmeath Football thread - 4 Like(s)
I'm still reeling from last night. As someone else mentioned, it really felt like the way it was set up pitted Group A clubs against Group B teams in both Senior and Intermediate.
I still can't get my head around how the ninth-best team from the group stage qualifies for the knockouts, while the fourth-best is eliminated. Surely the groups need to be reviewed?
If you're involved with a Group B club in either championship, you're probably delighted today. I'd say there are a few laughs being had at the expense of local rivals. It also makes you wonder what the point was of clubs pushing so hard for promotion last year if this is how it plays out.
Temple56 (National) - 13/02/2026 15:39:14
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Westmeath Footballers 2020 - 4 Like(s)
Replying To finnyfifs: "Dublin, Tyrone, Galway, Mayo, Donegal, Monaghan, Kerry and Dublin's reserves (Coz they beat Roscommon in Carrick on Shannon with their second team the day the Hyde was flooded) and second team also beat them twice in super eights." Roscommon have been a top 8 team for 3-4 years now. 4 Connacht Finals in a row. Have won it 2 out of the last 3 years. No one said they are as good as Dublin or Kerry they are on a different level to everyone else but they are on the same level as Galway, Mayo, Tyrone, Donegal and Monaghan.
On their day they would have beat any of these teams in the last 4 years...
The reason they are having a poor season so far is because of injuries and players leaving panel. Roscommon is small county imaging if Westmeath were missing 14 player's we would be a Div4 team
I really hope we beat them when we play them but I think it will be tough. They are managed by Anthony Cunningham if you ask people from Garrycastle he is one of the best managers ever in Westmeath football. 3 years he was involved they won 3 county championships 1 Leinster and lost an all Ireland final.
Some record!!!!
Temple56 (Westmeath) - 13/02/2020 18:01:41
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Westmeath Football Managers 2022 - 3 Like(s)
Replying To mickcunningham: "dont rule out tyrrellspass" Tyrellspass a finished team mick!
Temple56 (National) - 22/01/2022 18:49:52
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Time For Someone In GAA Authority To Say STOP - 3 Like(s)
Imagine every Ulster championship game was held in Croke Park do you think it would still have the same buzz?
Leinster council need to move all Leinster Championship games out of Croke Park.
Play them in O Moore park, Tullamore or Kilkenny 3 brilliant stadiums
Temple56 (National) - 30/05/2022 11:44:01
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Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To Mooo: "Championship over any new players deserve to make the step up to county panel" Eoin O'Brien (Kinnegad)
Josh Gahan (Kinnegad)
Eamonn Martin (Athlone)
Enda Gaffeny (Lomans)
Paddy Sleator (Caulry)
Ronan Hanley (Tang)
Darragh Lowry (Moate)
Paddy Fagan (Shamrocks)
Temple56 (National) - 05/10/2023 11:15:54
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Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To iarmhiabu: "It is absolutely shocking what is going on, no surprise St Loman's grass pitch was playable for a League game last night!!" I agree, hopefully the blindfolds come off and people start to see what's really going on.
I'm not blaming St Loman's or Kinnegad, because I know my own club is in the same boat. But right now, there's a complete breakdown in trust between the clubs and the county board. It feels like the county board's default response is to shift the blame onto the clubs.
It's hard to believe that a pitch deemed unplayable on Wednesday night for a major U20 championship match was suddenly considered playable just 24 hours later for a Division 1 ACFL game. If that got picked up by the national media, we'd be a laughing stock.
At this stage, I think an EGM is needed as soon as possible. The county board is in a very poor position, and it's difficult to see how relationships with clubs can be repaired under the current circumstances.
I've no doubt that everyone involved with Westmeath GAA is doing their best, but the "my way or the highway" attitude from some individuals has really damaged how the board is viewed. Hopefully, a few step aside and we see new leadership come in.
Temple56 (National) - 27/03/2026 11:51:28
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Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Have a a feelings all 3 Westmeath clubs will reach Leinster finals.
If all 3 win this weekend we could have an all timer next weekend with both Senior finals being played in Croke Park we could have Lomans and C/G playing there on the Saturday.
Then for Garrycastle if they win they get a home Leinster final which I presume they will pick Cusack Park. That will be plays on Sunday.
Let's hope all 3 get it done this weekend !!
Temple56 (National) - 22/11/2024 12:28:28
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Round 3 Neutral Venues All Ireland - 3 Like(s)
After the draw this afternoon we know that round 3 will be held in neutral venues. I have had a stab at choosing the venues. Of course Croke Park will be used for at least 2 games but I have not picked Croke Park for any of the games as I have gone with stand alone fixtures to fill stadiums and create a better atmosphere. This fixtures also depend on how wins provincial finals over the next 2 weeks. I have predicted that all 4 favorites will win them. (Galway, Kerry, Dublin and Derry)
Kerry VS Louth - O'Moore Park, Portlaoise - Capacity: 22,000
Mayo VS Cork - TUS Gaelic Grounds - Capacity: 44,000
Tyrone VS Westmeath - Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon - Capacity: 10,000
Galway VS Armagh - Breffni Park, Cavan - Capacity: 25,000
Dublin VS Sligo - Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon - Capacity: 19,000
Roscommon VS Kildare - O Connor Park, Tullamore - Capacity: 18,000
Derry VS Clare - MacHale Park, Castlebar - Capacity: 26,000
Monaghan VS Donegal - Healy Park, Omagh - Capacity: 18,000
Imagine the atmospheres that we could get at some of these games!!!
Temple56 (National) - 02/05/2023 15:00:54
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Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Great news that Kildare lost. Unless Offaly win we are in the All Ireland!!
Well done to Dessie and players that was the goal at the start of the year. Div 2 football and All Ireland football both achieved
Hopefully the lads get a boost by this now and put in some good performances in the group stages and see can we go one step further this year
Temple56 (National) - 28/04/2024 15:56:51
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Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To nadunta2025: "What does progress look like from Westmeath, win Tailteann ? beating longford, step 1 anyway it will be difficult i think for 40- 50 mins but i expect westmeath to pull away. Play Meath if beat Meath it would be huge and a huge step forward cannot see it as Meath in top 6 teams in the country now. So we have to win Tailteann which means we have stayed stagnant since we last won tailteann or probably regressed?
We celebrated that cup and rightly so but for what ? we never kicked on." Must win against Longford. Anything after that in Leinster is a free hit. Meath are levels above us at the moment but be great to have a one off game in O Connor park in 2 weeks.
Tailteann Cup is also a must win. If no shocks in the provinces we will be up against Offaly, Laois, Clare, Sligo and Wexford as favourites. No great shakes.
Only 4 lads remaining from the team that started 2022 Tailteann cup final. This is a completely new team and anything other than a win in this competition should be marked as a failure.
Temple56 (National) - 08/04/2026 08:00:15
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Tailteann Cup 2022 - 2 Like(s)
Replying To legendzxix: "Preliminary Round - South:
Wexford v Offaly
Wicklow v Waterford
Round 1 - South:
Wexford/Offaly v Wicklow/Waterford
Carlow v Tipperary
Laois v Westmeath
Round 1 - North:
Longford v Fermanagh
Leitrim v Antrim
Sligo v London
Cavan v Down" Ulster and Lenister teams are sick of playing each other. I cant understand why this competition has been split north and south. Was this in the proposal that was passed at congress? What were the benefits of splitting the Taiteann Cup?
Its been treated like the Micky Mouse Cup from the get go.
Temple56 (National) - 16/05/2022 09:37:41
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Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
U20s very unlucky with injuries to key players.
Still cant get my head around how we won our group and had to travel to Meath to play the QF when they finished 2nd in their group.
We beat Kildare in round 1. The pre tournament favorites. However, the way its worked out is they had the easy QF and now have Laois in a semi which they should win. No reward for winning your two group games!!
Temple56 (National) - 13/04/2023 09:57:06
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Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Doorman123: "I logged back into the forum for the first time in years to comment on the final yesterday. What an exhibition of football. One of the best club games I think I've ever seen and one of the best games in any code in many years. While the teams set up defensively they tried to attack and make breaks. Great play, aggression on the ball, skill and athleticism and fair play. and a credit to the players management and clubs. Enda Kelly did a great job, not too fussy, let the game flow with advantage and got all the tough calls right.
The FRC should come to the replay to learn how the game should be played. Proud to be a Westmeath man to see that game. Well done to all." The quality of football was brilliant in yesterday's final and agree with most of what you said. But there was 24 scores yesterday out of 28 shots. 28 shots in a game of football is very very low. Shooting percentage was through the roof. The reason not many shots were taken was because of how both team set up defensively- I'm not blaming the teams that is just how football is played these days. However your comment about the FRC coming to the replay to learn a few things is misleading as on another day that game could of ending 1-5 to 1-5 if both teams didn't bring their shooting boots.
Temple56 (National) - 14/10/2024 22:11:48
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Does Ulster Championship Benefit Ulster Teams? - 2 Like(s)
Replying To shaggykev: "Grade one trolling there.
Kerry would win about 2-3 over 10 years and Dublin maybe 4-5. If neither side played any games at home, it is Ulster after all, then you'd see Dublin & Kerry out on their ear in the quarter finals plenty of times.
Ulster is the best championship by a margin. Connacht has three evenly matched sides but it suffers from inbalance in fixtures. But yes Ulster is not helping Ulster teams win All Irelands and the new system will make it even worse.
However Ulster teams know when they win it all, its because they deserved it. Can never say the same for Dublin or Kerry." Dublin 4/5? Are you mad?
They won six All Irelands in row and no one in Ulster got near them in that time!
Dublin would have won the last 10 Ulster's at a canter. No Ulster team have beat Dublin in championship since 2014!
It's not nice to hear because yee up in Ulster think it's a great competition which it is! However, if Dublin were in it over the last 10 years it would be in the same position as Leinster at the moment
Temple56 (National) - 30/04/2024 22:07:42
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Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Jack_Sparrow: "Not arguing about that. Don't like either system. Should be open draw. Read back my posts" I've noticed you're the first person I've heard express dislike for this format, which has been a real success story for Westmeath GAA. If you don't mind me asking, what club are you from?
This format was in place from 2017 to 2025. Each year, the top two teams in the county reached the county final, with the possible exception of 2020 when the structure was altered due to Covid-19. In 2020, the strongest teams in the county - Lomans, The Downs, and Garrycastle - ended up on the same side of the draw. Despite that, we still had a strong final, with T Pass performing well on the day and arguably deserving to win.
Under the previous format (2000-2016), there were significant issues. For example, in the 2015 final, Castledaly reached the final. No disrespect to Castledaly, but they were not the second-best team in Westmeath at the time. However, they still deserved their place in the final based on how the format operated.
Regarding the rule about not being able to be relegated from Section A - this is effectively the reward for qualifying for the knockout stages the previous year. In my opinion, no team in Section A this year would have been in real danger of relegation. Athlone and T Pass finished 5th and 6th, and both teams would likely have beaten Tang or Malachys by double digits this year.
For example, last year, if you finished bottom of a group containing Garrycastle, Caulry, Moate, Killucan, Tang, and Malachys, then relegation would be justified. However, finishing bottom of a group containing Lomans, Downs, Shamrocks, Kinnegad, Athlone, or T Pass is not comparable.
Temple56 (National) - 04/03/2026 01:21:51
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Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Jack_Sparrow: "Poor in your opinion. The teams that finish 5th and 6th in group A are no great shakes and just because they had a decent year the previous year the are immune from relegation. They mightn't even have the same personnel as the previous year. Nothing to say they wouldn't slide into a relegation battle. Nothing technical about it group A and B are in the same championship with different rules." Would you mind sharing which club you're from? You're the first person I've heard say that our current format which has been one of the county's biggest success stories since its introduction in 2018 isn't fit for purpose.
I'm genuinely interested in understanding your perspective, so knowing your club would help me see where you're coming from. Everyone I've spoken to across the north, south, east, and west of the county feels that the current structure is working well and doesn't believe change is necessary.
Temple56 (National) - 14/02/2026 15:43:50
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