Westmeath hope to avoid usual pitfalls

GAELIC GAMES: There are two ways of looking at Westmeath's prospects for the season. First, they can be easily written off considering several of last year's panel have already cried off and everyone will see them coming this year. Then there is team trainer Tomas Ó Flatharta's attitude of just getting on with it.

Already, Jimmy Davitt has been convinced to return after he initially cited a lack of hunger for the game, while Fergal Wilson and Brian Morley have been replaced by a host of young, hungry players who crucially do not have Leinster medals.

"We've seen it before," explains Ó Flatharta. "Counties may have had a success story but the players get notions about themselves the following year. They may not have their heads right. We just have to ensure those things don't happen to us."

The flipside to the success of 2004 would be to look at the manner in which it ended - the defeat to Derry slightly took the gloss off Westmeath's first provincial breakthrough. Ó Flatharta shoulders the blame with the players.

"We felt we (the management) could carry them a little bit further but on the day the team didn't perform. We can blame only ourselves really. On the day we let ourselves down, we didn't play up to standard that day.

"Leading up to that game, after the Leinster final, they did everything right. There was very little celebration. The cup was locked away the following day. Training went on as normal.

"When they were down in Westmeath everyone was patting them on the back. It does take an effect without you knowing. The mind can play fun and games with you a lot of the time."

Westmeath have been training for two months since the county's first real team holiday to Cape Town.

"We've brought in about eight or nine new lads from across the county so we will see how these lads are able to stand up to the test over the next six or so weeks. You cannot really judge from the first game in January. As the games get a lot more competitive hopefully a few of them will get a chance in the National League."

The first run-out was a comprehensive victory over former Westmeath manager Luke Dempsey's new side in Longford. Hard to tell much there but at least Denis Glennon is continuing his upward trajectory after last summer's heroics. Also, his younger brother, David, may make the step-up when his O'Byrne Cup and Sigerson Cup duties with Athlone IT are complete.

One benefit, though, is the interest levels generated by Páidí Ó Sé's arrival last year will not be revisited. They are on the road again this Sunday in Drogheda as they seek a return to the O'Byrne Cup final.

Yet, no matter what kind of form they produce in the National League expectations in the county will be massive come the championship.

"That's why it's going to be a bit more difficult," Ó Flatharta admitted. "If we play the same way as we played last year we probably won't win anything at all so that's where the high notions of players come in.

"There are very high expectations within the county and that does bring pressure but again we expect pressure will just come with every game we play."

Naturally the topic of the experimental rules comes up and, like many others with the same viewpoint from the line, Ó Flatharta is strongly against it in the current format.

"I think it's a farce. In our game last week we had five fellas sent off between Longford and ourselves - you could argue none of them should have been. But we didn't argue with the referee."

The referees, he says, are under enough pressure with other multiple duties without this increased responsibility.

"I think they have to get rid of it. I heard referees talking about it and they said they are trying to protect the players but I think if you look at it I'm not sure a player has been protected in the last year.

"Outside of the referees, wherever these decisions are made, because we had a situation last year where Finian Newman got his jaw broken and that guy got a month's suspension. Now how are the GAA trying to defend that? That's not protecting the players at all."

The National League will undoubtedly tell us more about this topic and whether Westmeath overcome the second-year syndrome.