On the Thursday before Westmeath faced Meath in the Leinster quarter-final, Mark McHugh kept his panel of players in Cusack Park until just after midnight, ensuring each player understood their role in the ambush they had planned. The Midlanders scored four goals against their neighbours, one of three occasions this season when Westmeath have netted four or more goals in League and Championship matches.
Amid concerns that two-point scores have devalued goals in Gaelic football, McHugh's side is demonstrating the continued importance of raising a green flag. Westmeath's shock victory over Robbie Brennan's Royals, who were widely tipped as Leinster champions, was slightly overshadowed by Conor Laverty and Down's achievement in Letterkenny last week, but it remains no less impressive.
Westmeath's ability to find the net should give their supporters confidence heading to O'Connor Park this weekend. History and tradition are against them when facing Kildare; in 12 previous Championship meetings, they have beaten the Lilywhites only twice, most recently in 2016. However, a year ago, they let a Leinster quarter-final slip away despite a superb performance from Luke Loughlin.
It has now emerged that Loughlin has been ruled out for the year and requires surgery on his hamstring. He limped off during the famous win over Meath, and his absence might tilt the balance towards Kildare, but only slightly. Loughlin has been a key figure in guiding the county through a transition from the team that reached two successive Leinster finals in the mid-2010s.
Players such as John Hesliin, Kieran Martin, and James Dolan have all stepped away, with former AFL player Ray Connellan the last remaining from the 2016 side. If Westmeath reach the provincial final on Sunday, Connellan will become the first footballer from the county to play in three finals.
Like Tom Cribbin did a decade ago, McHugh, a 2012 All-Ireland winner with Donegal, relies on a talented core including Loughlin, Connellan, Matthew Whittaker, and Ronan Wallace, augmented by exciting young players like 20-year-old Shane Corcoran, who scored 2-2 against Meath. He has also worked to make the team more battle-hardened.
For the past 18 months, Westmeath has carried the unwanted tag of 'the unluckiest side' in Ireland, a reputation earned from losing many close matches. Last year under Dermot McCabe, now in charge of Cavan, they earned just one point while being relegated from Division 2, a draw with Roscommon in their final match. However, five of their six defeats were by three points or less, and a single score in those games could have changed the outcome.
Losing close games followed them into the summer, with a narrow defeat to Kildare in Leinster despite Loughlin's heroics and a shock loss to Wicklow in the Tailteann Cup. When McHugh took over from McCabe's backroom, one of his first tasks was to eradicate this tendency.
Even though it was only the O'Byrne Cup in January, beating Kildare by two points in Newbridge to win the pre-season competition felt significant. It was the type of tight encounter Westmeath had been losing throughout the previous season. Old habits die hard, though. Westmeath were on course to bounce back to Division 2 until Wexford's Sean Ryan scored a goal deep in injury time to send the Slaneysiders up.
Another narrow one-score defeat could have crushed morale, but the sense from the midlands this week was that McHugh's energy and effervescence ensured heads did not drop. A couple of weeks later, Westmeath scored five goals inside the first half-hour of their Championship opener against Longford and could have added more in the second half if needed.
After putting 5-25 on their midlands rivals in Pearse Park, McHugh, his backroom staff, and the players burned the midnight oil in Cusack Park, meticulously planning the first ambush of this Championship. Every win over Meath is cherished in Westmeath; it is only 11 years since they recorded their maiden Championship victory over their more successful neighbours.
What happened in Tullamore fed into the current feelgood factor around football in the Lake County. It came on the back of Westmeath minors and Under 20s both beating Dublin in the Leinster championship this year for the first time. On St Patrick's Day, Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar registered an emotional Hogan Cup success, beating Tralee CBS in Croke Park, the first time a Westmeath school won the All-Ireland title since Moate in 1981.
That success highlights the work of former Dublin footballer Darren Magee as games development officer, with panel members like Loughlin and Jason Daly working as promotions officers. The aim is to harness potential in a county with two large towns, Athlone and Mullingar, and other decent-sized places like Moate and Kinnegad. But the senior team remains the flagship.
It is 22 years since the late Paídí Ó Sé led them to their only Leinster title. On Sunday, they aim to reach only their sixth provincial final and avoid the Tailteann Cup, which they won as inaugural champions in 2022. That goal makes it worthwhile for players and management to have another couple of late nights in Cusack Park.
