|
Westmeath Football thread - 7 Like(s)
Replying To Temple56: "Before I start this rant I want to say I don't think Dessie should take the job again I think it would be great for a fresh face but I can't let people bad mouth him on here without the facts.
If John Heslin, Kevin Maguire, Ronan O'Toole, Sam Duncan, David Lynch, Andy McCormack, Charlie Drumm, and Senan Baker had all been available this past year, every one of them would have started. Dessie Dolan always picked the strongest fifteen he had at his disposal, and so did McCabe. The key difference is that McCabe's hand was forced by injuries and retirements within the squad. That's 8 players of this years team not getting game time if the established players were around.
The young players you're referring to never stepped up during Dessie's era to take a jersey from any of these established names. They haven't achieved anything yet neither keeping us in Division 3 nor driving us to a Tailteann Cup semi-final or final. In my opinion, if the players I mentioned above had been available, we would have stayed in Division 3." Dessie inherited a high calibre team from Jack Cooney. His task? Build on the progress of winning the Tailteann Cup. Westmeath had beaten an Ulster Championship winning side. They had earned the right to play in the All-Ireland Series. Dessie had a strong base to start from. In his first year, Westmeath were unlucky not to win a match in what was probably the toughest group. I'm not forgetting the Louth match in Navan. The result? 0 Championship wins from 4 matches. In Dessie's second year, we won Division 3 with our strongest team to scrape into the All Ireland Series. Things went belly up after that, losing to Wicklow was the lowest point in a number of years. The performance levels in the All Ireland Series were so poor. We went all out for the League and the Championship turned into a grind. The result? 0 Championship wins from 4 matches. Dessie never learned to rotate and build depth. Perhaps we would have won a Championship match under him if he used his squad? This has had a detrimental effect on the future of the team. Trusting the same players too much backfired. The younger players never stepped up? There were plenty of younger players brought in this year that showed they were more than good enough. And people want Dessie back!!
iarmhiabu (National) - 02/09/2025 12:55:47
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 5 Like(s)
Replying To Claretandblue: "The new structure is far from perfect and it seems certain there will be further changes next year if Congress pushes All Ireland finals back, the idea that our previous structure was the envy of counties elsewhere, there were loads of championship matches last few years that were tame affairs, little of the cut and thrust associated with championship football. Shandonagh vs Tubberclair last year was a shocking advertisement for the championship." Our resident County Board man, will try put a positive spin on things when the reality is they have failed the players and Clubs time and time again. You have highlighted 1 game out of 70 + Championship games but they were not very many games last year that were dead rubber. I seem to remember all 6 teams in Section A of Senior having something to play for going into the last round, plenty of "cut and thrust" actually. If you're going to come up with a new structure, come up with a new structure that's completely fair to a tiered system. It is not as if Senior B teams were making their presence felt in the knockouts. For the last 3 years, the Senior semi finalists were made up of teams competing in Section A, except for The Downs in 2024. The decisions made to change the structures were definitely not evidence based, there is more to this than meets the eye. There was no appetite for change, the meeting at the Park Hotel should have been enough to confirm this but instead they ignore the Clubs and players and use their own votes to push through with it, it's called executive aggrandizement. This scandal further demonstrates the growing disconnect between the Board and the Clubs. It obviously dictated the mood on the team bus going to Newry yesterday going by the first half performance. It was foolish thinking we were going to see a better future for Westmeath football with the change of leadership, going nowhere fast with this Circus.
iarmhiabu (National) - 15/02/2026 16:58:47
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 5 Like(s)
Replying To lakecounty90: "Are you for real ?
Best young forward we have produced since Dessie
Mark my words, he will be back with a bang" A Harlem Globetrotter style gaelic football documentary film coming soon on Netflix. Temple of the Kings Hogan Stand resident Lake County90 tells the story of the extraordinary and iconic Caulry team. We follow Caulry's rise from absolute obscurity to become the most swashbuckling club team in gaelic football. The documentary details how a group of supremely talented young footballers from a small rural area in County Westmeath captured the dreams and aspirations of fans of all ages with their mind blowing skills. The most wanted manager in the game, Pat Flanagan shuns several offers to stay at the club and leads a new generation to ultimate glory.
iarmhiabu (National) - 24/03/2025 16:55:46
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To coffey: "It's the 23rd of February , we've had a weekend of fixtures that we're decimated with the weather, who actually cares about the results from the weekend . Crispsandwich99" From where does this "who cares" attitude come I wonder? The County Board should care to publish results on time or by the next day, it is one of the main duties of a PRO. Most counties would promote their All County Leagues, share fixtures and results on social media, again a very basic job, but above all else get a sponsor on board. I am sure there would be plenty of businesses in the County delighted to get on board and support the All County Leagues, have their name beside fixtures and results, give them prominent pitch hoardings, front and centre at Cup presentations etc. But it's not like we need the money!!
iarmhiabu (National) - 24/02/2026 10:17:47
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To nadunta2025: "I think my point still very valid after the weekends game, how we have been so bad at minor grade the last few years and the schools getting it right. I know the Marist have maybe 4-5 lads from Roscommon but still combine these schools teams with Rochfortbridge, Moate,Kilbeggab and then theres probably 1-2 lads going to school in Other schools like Ballymahon or Edenderry perhaps, How have we only won a handful of games at minor in the last 5 years is beyond belief.
Marist have Mchugh a great Talent as long as he stays fit, Whittaker which i seen last year although wasnt as close to goal foe the marist will be a county player, a few another 5-6 county Minors, where Mullingar were probably stacked all over maybe 1 forward shy of the full package. Midfield are giants and the way kickouts have gone suits them but they can also play football. Maloney, Masterson, sheerin, Weir,Mcwade, Higgins are all solid performers and then Scahill has the brilliance.
County Board need to be held accountable!!!" There are many people who would argue that a thriving, well coached and competitive schools scene is far more important than anything that is happening on the county development side which has been in a state of malfunction for years with inadequate infrastructure (County managers having to beg Clubs for use of pitches). It's an absolute disgrace that a Centre of Excellence has not been built by now, generations of players failed by the County Board.
iarmhiabu (National) - 13/02/2026 08:36:30
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To Temple56: "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." Disgrace. Own goal after own goal scored by the County Board, clear out needed to save Westmeath football.
iarmhiabu (National) - 13/02/2026 11:22:51
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To iarmhi_an_mhaith: "I thought McHugh had joined Corduff in Monaghan as a coach. If he's to come in as Westmeath manager you would want him to be attending games and casting the net as wide as possible for potential new players. Hard to see this happening if he is coaching another team.
Hard to see where the new manager will come from. I would hold judgement on Paddy Dowdall until later in this championship, now that he no longer has the strongest squad in the county (in my opinion). Ditto for Gary Dolan.
Recent U20 managers have not pulled up any trees either." One of our main rivals in Division Three for 2026 have beefed up their management team by bringing in a Senior Inter County manager for the last five years as coach. They are about to get two of the best S&C coaches in the country, right from under Meath's nose. They will have almost 5 full months preparation behind them. Meanwhile top of the agenda in Westmeath is tackling the issue of photographers attending matches and clubs sharing videos.
iarmhiabu (National) - 28/08/2025 22:10:46
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 4 Like(s)
Replying To Brendanj: "the meeting at the Park Hotel should have been enough to confirm this but instead they ignore the Clubs and players and use their own votes to push through with it, it's called executive aggrandizement. This scandal further demonstrates the growing disconnect between the Board and the Clubs. It obviously dictated the mood on the team bus going to Newry yesterday going by the first half performance. It was foolish thinking we were going to see a better future for Westmeath football with the change of leadership, going nowhere fast with this Circus.
Thats an outrageeous statement, do you seriouly think the decision on the football championship last Thursday night had an impact on the performance in Newry. Please give the players some respect, the 2026 club championship was the last thing on the last thing on their minds.
A lot of clown talk on here about the county board, keyboard warriors if you ask me. At the end of the end of the day the best team in each club championship will win. Like it or not the board are a product of the clubs, these positions are ultimately ratified by the clubs. The them and us argument is a moot point.
People lashing out will that the COE will not get built either, all pub talk if you ask me. We are where we are because as a county we lack the ambition and desire to be better, end of story." Hi Brendan, can you confirm whether or not Killucan had 4 votes (Club vote, Secretary, Assistant Treasurer and Minor Board Chairman), as suggested by a contributor here, at the meeting last Thursday night? The Executive Committee is made up of 22 persons, nearly half as many clubs in the entire County. Can you confirm how many were present to cast their vote? Enough to sway the vote anyway. If you think it's clown talk, you have your head in the sand. Clubs, players and supporters alike are absolutely sick to the teeth, the elephant in the room is the long awaited Centre of Excellence - where are we going to get the millions to build it? What progress has been made to date? Have we got planning permission yet or what's the latest story? Are we sitting on the coffers of €480,000 from one fundraiser and hoping some Chinese Tycoon might fancy us? The County Senior team could not get a pitch to train on last week before the Down game, can you believe that. What hope have our County Senior team if they can't get a pitch to train on? The weather is not an acceptable excuse at this level. The County players are representing their Clubs many of which have been shafted with the change of Championship structure. Matters off the pitch can have a profound impact on team morale. Do you understand the concept of a tiered Championship? I had a good laugh at your last sentence, "we are where we are because we lack the ambition and desire to be better" and you are standing up for the County Board? Chat later, Brendan.
iarmhiabu (National) - 16/02/2026 15:12:57
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To westmeathfan25: "How are county players treated badly? Was Westmeath's spend not 1.2M on county teams in 2025?" Out of 12 games scheduled in the All Ireland U20 Championship last night, 1 game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. It is hardly surprising to see which County could not host their game given it has the greatest lack of infrastructure of any County. The other Counties were not lucky with the weather, they simply have better facilities, better planning (a multiple venue strategy, more options to fall back on etc. ) and better relationships with Clubs (it will tell you all you need know when St Loman's League game at home tonight is played on the grass pitch). Westmeath players are not asking for much, all they want is certainty, basic organization to match their high levels of commitment like a consistent training base, pitches to train on etc. We are spending €1.2m (the cost of just competing) to run a modern Inter County set up (coaching, nutrition, analysis, travel expenses etc.) without the modern infrastructure to support it.
iarmhiabu (National) - 26/03/2026 10:43:19
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To Maroon Heaven: "Just on the supporters thing - I've not missed a home game this year and I travel down from Belfast. I remember we played Louth in Drogheda under Tom Cribben and we were flying. That day you'd be hard pushed to notice Louth fans at that match while Westmeath had packed the Grandstand. Boidu was in his prime.
Swings and roundabouts with support in all counties. Let's not throw the Baby out with the Bath water.
Good luck to both teams this year. It isn't easy having a county operating at both codes to a high level." Swings and roundabouts, I agree. But what are the county board doing to promote Football and Hurling? What are they doing in trying to engage supporters? Not near half enough. Meath allow supporters to kick a ball on the field at half time, they do photo shoots with young supporters and put them on the front page of their own match programme for home games. Meath post player and manager interviews after a game, most counties do this actually. You need a prolific social media presence for starters, connect with clubs, schools etc. The importance of fan engagement is undeniable.
iarmhiabu (National) - 06/03/2025 08:21:53
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To westmeathfan25: "Confused as to how the pitch last night not being playable in return means "County Players are treated so badly in this county"
You said it yourself - coaching, nutrition, analysis, travel expenses - would you prefer if they did not spend that 1.2M on those things and instead put it towards the cost of building a COE? Or is your expectation that Westmeath should continue spending millions on the "badly treated players" and find another couple million somewhere to build a COE, because let's be honest, the previous fundraising that was meant to raise €1M didn't happen, so what happens next? And it can't be a continuous blame on the County Board - they can put in all the effort to get fundraising events up and running, but if people aren't willing to contribute then what happens - will you continue to solely blame them?" Don't be confused, take off the blindfold and you will be fine. If you're an Inter County player, you're training 4 to 5 nights a week (huge commitment, travel, gym, recovery etc). Our County players are competing against counties where lads have a proper training base (floodlit, sand based pitches, back up facilities if needed, consistent structures etc.) while our County players themselves can be training on heavy pitches (if they are lucky enough to get one), often obtained at the last minute. This can have a sustained impact on players (increased risk of injury, disrupted preparation etc.) and over time can affect game performance. It doesn't match the standard of effort our players are giving but is a real competitive disadvantage. The Centre of Excellence should be the foundations, if you strip back what the €1.2m is being spent on, then our County players are left with nothing and will no longer be competitive. 110%, the County Board are to blame after years of hard failure, all talk and no action. What serious efforts have been made to get fundraising events off the ground? Can you honestly tell us what the County Board have achieved worthwhile? Money is being spent but not near enough is being created to build a Centre of Excellence, nothing since the Win A House draw last year, as far as I know. Roscommon, a County with a smaller population than us, had a net profit of €5.2m in 10 years (2014 to 2024), mainly from house draws and sponsorships. They have generated millions before even investing. Roscommon's success is down to a system they have built, a dedicated fundraising arm and strong County Board leadership, that brings massive buy in from Roscommon people so everyone is aligned. We have too many missing pieces unfortunately, the bucks stops with the County Board.
iarmhiabu (National) - 27/03/2026 10:09:52
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To Chops: "Here we go again..... Mouthing about support. Not everyone has €100 to spend on 1 chance to win 1 prize. You need to realize that €100 can be a big pill for some to swallow. Look at Oosch, RKings or McKinney competitions pages, they can sell 50,000-60,000 €20 tickets in 3-4 days when they have a house draw and have chances of other prizes aswell. Roscommon sell a power of tickets to the diaspora in UK and States. Roscommons last draw had 61% of sales outside the county.
Why is my Facebook page not being bombarded with Bressie or Niall Horan or other local celebrities selling the hell out of it?? There was a marketing team hired to do this yet not seeing much drive for it. I'm getting at least triple the amount of ads for Tipperarys draw on my timeline." The marketing campaign has been a total disaster as far as I can see. The Tipperary draw last week was for a 4 bed house in Cashel or €300,000 cash alternative, more appealing for the average Joe than an apartment in Spain. It will be the fault of all the clubs of course, the clubs are being blamed already.
iarmhiabu (National) - 18/04/2025 14:18:50
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To Bluelake: "If being against domestic violence makes me a snowflake then I'll wear the badge with honour" We're all against domestic violence but the man was never charged. Remember that.
iarmhiabu (National) - 23/09/2024 17:05:48
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To jobber: "Are you for real.Name me 1 hurling club that doesn't have footballers.How many football clubs don't have hurlers?
Delvin is a dual club as are Raharney-Killucan ,Castletown-Malachys,Brownstown-St Pauls in all but name.
Is all of Westmeath north of Mullingar a small pocket." Thanks for clarifying that there is, in fact, only one dual club in the entire county, in Delvin. Raharney, Killucan, Castletown Geoghegan, St Malachy's, Brownstown and St Paul's are, in fact, single code clubs. I recognise that these clubs you listed in the small pockets have players who play another code with another club. There is a small amount of players playing both in comparison to players solely playing football I can tell you that much. Temple already mentioned that Castledaly, Moate, Tubberclair and Caulry all have no hurlers. Athlone and Garrycastle, you could count on one hand the number of hurlers within their squads combined. Temple listed off nearly as many football clubs as there is altogether in hurling that have hardly any hurlers. I doubt St Loman's and Kinnegad have many hurlers either. But yet the county board are suggesting to change the football structures to 'protect the dual players'. There wouldn't be anyone from these clubs Jobber has falsely listed as dual clubs on the committee?
iarmhiabu (National) - 27/06/2025 18:45:37
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
The lad that goes around collecting bottles and cans during and after games in Cusack must have the 10% deposit down on the mortgage at this rate.
iarmhiabu (National) - 17/10/2025 14:45:35
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To LoughLeneKing: "Leinster run? To do well at that grade in Leinster you need to be a middle of the road Senior team. And Garrycastle just aren't there... it was one of the poorest intermediate final(s) in a while.
I understand the enthusiasm through rose tinted glasses!
Garrycastle look to be a team that will yoyo up and down from senior to intermediate for a while.
Even the Longford Intermediate Champs are streets ahead. Manning Gaels beating Connollys who have 2 x Reynolds brothers who are decent inter County players..." Streets ahead? Go back to sleep. Longford's intermediate champions would get it difficult to beat our junior champions. The state of the Longford club championship, the Longford intermediate champions get hidings every year in Leinster. Rubbish standard.
iarmhiabu (National) - 29/10/2024 13:17:24
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Matthew: "Cooney would be a very backwards move. If he didn't win the Tailteann his previous reign it wasn't a success. I don't think he got them out of D3 either. Has he achieved anything at club level since…" If Paidi didn't win a Leinster, would his reign be seen as a success? If we are judging managerial reigns solely on silverware like you are doing, the answer is no. Cooney's reign should not be judged on the Tailteann Cup alone but on the development of the team since he took over. He built a competitive team, brought through players like Wallace and Sam McCartan and made Luke the player he is today. Dessie came in and undone all that good work, he didn't win a single Championship game with a decent enough side.
iarmhiabu (National) - 09/08/2025 23:38:32
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Wmeath2: "How do you suggest they monetise it?" Strike a deal with Streamsport, the platform which Donegal are using to stream 50 games in a three year contract worth €250,000. Every club in Donegal will get a season pass and a copy of each of their games. The price you pay for one match will never be less than what gets you in the gate and there will be weekend packages. Everyone's a winner. Clubber is an excellent service also. If the Podcast brings much needed publicity to the Club Championships then it's worth keeping but why not make it better viewing than having a low profile panel giving their match predictions. Anyone could predict a St Loman's and The Downs to win this weekend. Get well known players / former players on to make informed opinions. Buddha didn't even know about Conor Dillon's injury and Conor one or Westmeath's best players. He informed listeners of a Kinnegad player that was gone travelling but yet he was playing that weekend. Why not have a Team of the Week to get people talking? I'm sure that would stir debate every week. What about doing up a weekend highlights package, fun challenges between Clubs with the winner getting a bag of balls? You could charge people the price of a coffee every month. The interviews with managers and players before and after games and at launches are good. This could compliment the streaming service. The whole Iarmhi TV brand could be so much better.
iarmhiabu (National) - 09/08/2025 18:52:34
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
Replying To Lockerroomboy: "Tubberclair to win by 20 points minimum, trust me on this one, st martins b team, barry o connor is the AFL player and Daihi waters ex wexford player, 100per cent not playing, they are 99per cent hurling and 1 per cent football club" Please, don't consume strawberries in large amounts.
iarmhiabu (National) - 13/11/2025 19:21:39
|
|
Westmeath Football thread - 2 Like(s)
There's a clear lack of leadership on the field. No Westmeath player stood up when it was counted. Someone to lead by example, to drive the others on, someone like the Wicklow 8 Healy. In the 41st minute of the second half, we led 2-12 to 1-7. By the 57th minute, Wicklow were awarded the penalty to make it 2-13 to 2-13. We completely switched off. Wicklow's build up play looked slow and laborious, yet they were able to punch holes in our defence with considerable ease. They threw the ball from side to side and waited for Healy to make the opening. He was our main tormentor, creating a large amount of Wicklow's scores with his powerful running. I think McCabe has done a good job in Year 1 considering the players that were available to him. It was always going to be difficult with so many new players becoming starters straight away. The previous manager left Westmeath football in the lurch. He persisted with the older players, many of whom were obviously past it when he should have been integrating younger players into the team. You can count on one hand how many players he brought through in 2 years.
iarmhiabu (National) - 16/06/2025 16:08:39
|