Paidi O Se has paid a glowing tribute to Westmeath footballer Dessie Dolan, who may well have played his last game for the Lake County.

While the 32-year-old forward hasn't officially announced his inter-county retirement, his decision not to re-join Pat Flanagan's squad after a long All-Ireland club campaign with Garrycastle would suggest that he won't be returning in the future.

O Se, who managed Westmeath when they won their maiden Leinster SFC title eight years ago, compares Dolan to Kerry legend Maurice Fitzgerald in an interview with today's Irish Daily Star.

"He is a really gifted player," he said.

"He has great vision and he has a very, very good temperament for the game. He was very good in the dressing room when I was with Westmeath and in that regard he reminded me a lot of Maurice Fitzgerald.

"Maurice Fitzgerald, as well as being a brilliant footballer, has a very good way about him in a dressing room, which is very important to any team too."

O Se added: "Westmeath probably should have won a Leinster title under Luke Dempsey before my time. When they did finally win a Leinster title, Dessie was very much part and parcel of that. He might not have played for one of the more successful counties, but his talent didn't go unnoticed." Tweet

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