Replying To Thechick:  "Murtagh when he feels like it ???. Do ya go to many games???"

Replying To westmeathfan25:  "I'm not sure I agree with this. I think it's fair to say that both inter-county squads are treated similarly, and the overall costs at the end of the year would usually give a good indication of that.

At this point, I'm not sure it will matter what the CB says in response to Pat O'Brien's statement, because the narrative seems to have become that the CB is always in the wrong. Yet there doesn't seem to be the same criticism of the CB when Pat O'Brien is being paid for his co-commentary work on Iarmhi TV.

I think the podcast has taken a very anti-CB position now. Whatever the CB does or doesn't do seems likely to be interpreted through that lens, and I'm not sure any response from them is going to change that narrative.

One genuine question: where is the sponsorship revenue from this podcast going? The CB previously paid contributors for their time, so is the sponsorship revenue now covering those same people, or is it being used elsewhere?"

Replying To jobber:  "The Leinster championship win was brilliant and enjoyed by everyone but the reality is since the last one in 2004 the hurlers have won 4 national titles and the footballers 1 so dont get carried away with a football first county. Maybe in Tunberclair and Caulry but certainly not anywhere north of Mullingar. The fact of no hurling for a month is as you say a football first attitude of a CCC which needs to be changed.
Hurling is losing out and the clubs need to raise their voice."

Replying To Temple56:  "In 22 years, Three Christy Rings, which is a third-tier competition, and one Joe McDonagh Cup are hardly achievements to be constantly harping on about either.

Like it or not, though, Westmeath is currently around 70% football and 30% hurling in terms of the level of participation across the county.

The numbers back this up:

Football championship: 45 teams - 12 Senior, 12 Intermediate, 12 Junior and 9 Junior 2.
Those 45 teams come from 37 clubs, with 12 clubs entering second teams and one club entering a third team.

Hurling championship: 18 teams - 6 Senior, 6 Senior B and 6 Intermediate.
Those 18 teams come from 15 clubs, with 9 clubs entering second teams.

That gives us 63 championship teams across both codes.

Football: 45/63 = 71%
Hurling: 18/63 = 29%

I am not for one second saying that the County Board should be giving 70% of its resources to football. That isn't the point. The point is that we need to acknowledge the difference in the current playing levels between the two codes.

If you want hurling to grow, it is up to the hurling people in the county to step up and spread the game. At the moment, hurling is very much concentrated in North Westmeath and North Westmeath only.

Take Southern Gaels, for example. They have had very little support from the rest of the county over the last 30 years and, incredibly, they remain the only club in the county without their own grounds.

You mention Tubberclair and Caulry, but perhaps the bigger question for those of you involved in hurling should be: how do we actually grow the game in these areas?

When I look at most of the teams in North Westmeath, I see plenty of lads playing both codes. Around Athlone and Moate, however, that isn't nearly as common.

Rather than arguing over whether Westmeath is a football or hurling county, I think we should be asking ourselves what we can do to make hurling stronger outside its traditional heartland. If we can do that, the numbers will naturally start to change."

Replying To Dheen:  "Its not football first North of Mullingar or in Castletown Geoghegan though. There are a lot of hurling people in the county who wanted to be treated fairly."

Replying To Gaaforlife2023:  "Can you nit see how hurling needs aittle bit more promotion and investment yes football always first vut jeez isnt much to ask"

Replying To jobber:  "The Leinster championship win was brilliant and enjoyed by everyone but the reality is since the last one in 2004 the hurlers have won 4 national titles and the footballers 1 so dont get carried away with a football first county. Maybe in Tunberclair and Caulry but certainly not anywhere north of Mullingar. The fact of no hurling for a month is as you say a football first attitude of a CCC which needs to be changed.
Hurling is losing out and the clubs need to raise their voice."

Replying To westmeathfan25:  "I'm not sure I agree with this. I think it's fair to say that both inter-county squads are treated similarly, and the overall costs at the end of the year would usually give a good indication of that.

At this point, I'm not sure it will matter what the CB says in response to Pat O'Brien's statement, because the narrative seems to have become that the CB is always in the wrong. Yet there doesn't seem to be the same criticism of the CB when Pat O'Brien is being paid for his co-commentary work on Iarmhi TV.

I think the podcast has taken a very anti-CB position now. Whatever the CB does or doesn't do seems likely to be interpreted through that lens, and I'm not sure any response from them is going to change that narrative.

One genuine question: where is the sponsorship revenue from this podcast going? The CB previously paid contributors for their time, so is the sponsorship revenue now covering those same people, or is it being used elsewhere?"

Replying To Temple56:  "In 22 years, Three Christy Rings, which is a third-tier competition, and one Joe McDonagh Cup are hardly achievements to be constantly harping on about either.

Like it or not, though, Westmeath is currently around 70% football and 30% hurling in terms of the level of participation across the county.

The numbers back this up:

Football championship: 45 teams - 12 Senior, 12 Intermediate, 12 Junior and 9 Junior 2.
Those 45 teams come from 37 clubs, with 12 clubs entering second teams and one club entering a third team.

Hurling championship: 18 teams - 6 Senior, 6 Senior B and 6 Intermediate.
Those 18 teams come from 15 clubs, with 9 clubs entering second teams.

That gives us 63 championship teams across both codes.

Football: 45/63 = 71%
Hurling: 18/63 = 29%

I am not for one second saying that the County Board should be giving 70% of its resources to football. That isn't the point. The point is that we need to acknowledge the difference in the current playing levels between the two codes.

If you want hurling to grow, it is up to the hurling people in the county to step up and spread the game. At the moment, hurling is very much concentrated in North Westmeath and North Westmeath only.

Take Southern Gaels, for example. They have had very little support from the rest of the county over the last 30 years and, incredibly, they remain the only club in the county without their own grounds.

You mention Tubberclair and Caulry, but perhaps the bigger question for those of you involved in hurling should be: how do we actually grow the game in these areas?

When I look at most of the teams in North Westmeath, I see plenty of lads playing both codes. Around Athlone and Moate, however, that isn't nearly as common.

Rather than arguing over whether Westmeath is a football or hurling county, I think we should be asking ourselves what we can do to make hurling stronger outside its traditional heartland. If we can do that, the numbers will naturally start to change."

Replying To DelaneyCup2026:  "Yes but as a whole it's football predominant county, not a criticism or having a go at anyone just what I feel. The football championship is at risk of losing a great structure as hurling clubs want more free weekends when they already play a championship with only one semi final and no quarter finals. So I think they shouldn't be trying to take from the other code at all to be honest."

Replying To Dheen:  "What you need to see is more of what Castledaly are doing currently, introducing hurling and camogie to their area at juvenile level. It would be great to see this happen in other areas in the south of the county too. There has to be a long term plan to grow the game but after hearing Pat O'Brien on the podcast we will be waiting a long time for the cb to step up and do something. They were talking on the podcast about Clare being a good model to follow, that could be the way forward. In my opinion for a county our size we have a lot of talent in both codes and tend to be able to punch well above our weight.
It shouldn't be about Hurling vs Football it should be about growing the game in both so we have a chance at doing well in both."

Replying To Claretandblue:  "Explain how hurling could be grown in areas in the south of the county? Specifics needed please."