Local derby clash to concentrate minds in Offaly football camp

By Kevin Egan

The memory of last year’s Tailteann Cup semi-final is still very fresh, but for Offaly, it feels like this Sunday’s clash with Westmeath in Mullingar is set to take place in an entirely new era, and that last June is very much part of history.

On the southern side of the M6, there has been considerable player turnover, to the point that perhaps half the starting team for this Sunday’s game will be players who didn’t start in Croke Park last June. From Westmeath’s perspective, there hasn’t been anything like the same level of churn on the player front, though like Offaly, there will be a new managerial team at the helm.

Where Offaly can take some encouragement is that on this side of the border, the managerial change was badly needed, and so far at least, it has proved to be a very good move. John Maughan had a good run in charge of the Faithful County and for the first three years of his tenure, players were hugely appreciative and complimentary when it came to the structure and the support network that he put in place.

But the wheels came off to a considerable degree last year, resulting in several key players refusing to make themselves available, as well as a noticeable drop in the level of harmony within the group. Consequently, a change in leadership was inevitable.

Liam Kearns is cut from similar cloth to Maughan in that he has a wealth of managerial experience, and so far, that has proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered for the group. For the moment, things are going well and while there are much bigger tests to come, he’ll certainly buy himself no small amount of goodwill if a positive result can be obtained in this Sunday's Allianz Football League game.

For Westmeath, a change in management was enforced due to Jack Cooney taking up a professional role with Croke Park, but it’s only in recent years that people started giving the Coralstown-Kinnegad man anything like the credit he was due for the job he did with his native county.

Anyone with connections to the Rhode club in Offaly will know all about the variety of strengths he brings to the table, but because he was a softly-spoken man who didn’t court controversy or notoriety, he didn’t register with the general public across the country, who instead looked at Westmeath’s progress and attributed it almost exclusively to the players.

Naturally, some of that is fair. This is a mature group that have been diligent and focused about their work, but as anyone who attends Westmeath club football can attest, it’s truly remarkable how players that have spent the spring and early summer in with the county, stand out prominently when club championship rolls around. This is the case in every county to a certain degree, but it’s incredibly pronounced in Westmeath, suggesting that the quality of preparation and training in with the county is right out of the top drawer.

It's into that context that Dessie Dolan steps in to take his first senior management job, and that’s why there is no small amount of risk for Westmeath football right now. Dolan’s bona fides as a player are beyond question, but his coaching and managerial CV is nowhere near as robust, and he steps into a role where he would have to be something close to exceptional, just for the county to stand still.

Last year, there were nine points between the sides at HQ, and Westmeath went on from there to beat Cavan in the final. This year, they’ve lost to Cavan and we’d be quite surprised if there’s nine points between themselves and Offaly on Sunday.

Expect the gap to have closed considerably, albeit not quite so much that an Offaly team that is still finding it’s feet with a new playing group should be considered anything more than a lively underdog.