All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Group 2, round one
Armagh v Westmeath (Saturday, the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 4.45pm, live on GAAGO)
ARMAGH can get their season back on track following their Ulster final defeat to Derry two weeks ago when they take on Westmeath this afternoon.
The Orchard county, who made their first appearance in the provincial decider in 15 years, lost out after a penalty shoot-out and how the players and management have recovered from that heartache will dictate what sort of game we witness in the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.
It’s the start of the new All-Ireland round-robin series and Armagh didn’t have long to lick their wounds. No doubt the pain of that defeat still lingers heavily inside the home changing room, but Armagh have had to shift their focus almost immediately.
Westmeath are coming to town and in the ‘group of death’ along with Galway and Tyrone, every point is going to be crucial. Dessie Dolan’s side will be eyeing up a shock, hoping Armagh haven’t fully recovered from their last outing.
Of the three group games, this may be the one that Westmeath, last year’s Tailteann Cup winners, will feel is their best chance to pick up that one win to more or less secure their passage into the knockout stages.
And Dolan has a side that can cause Armagh trouble, if they hit top form and they have some top-notch forwards in their ranks. Ronan O’Toole, John Heslin, Luke Loughlin and Ray Connellan, who will possibly drift out to midfield, are all quality players.
Not only that, but they have a mean defensive structure that could frustrate the Armagh forward line and the home support. In the League, Westmeath conceded just one goal in seven outings, a late three-pointer against Down.
But 2023 has been a year of underachievement for Westmeath. After the promise that winning the Tailteann Cup offered, the Lake county have been unsuccessful in their hopes of building on that success.
They failed to get out of Division Three, losing to Ulster trio Cavan, Down and Fermanagh, the three teams that finished above them, while they also lost to Louth in Leinster despite leading by eight-points at half-time.
That defeat to the Wee county will not sit well with Dolan and his team, but they’ve had plenty of time to break it all down, take any learnings they can and recharge the batteries to give their all in the All-Ireland series.
Really, for Westmeath, they have nothing to lose. If they come up short, that’s fine, they’re not expected to pick up any points in the group stages, but if they win then they have the prize of another big game in the race for Sam Maguire.
The pressure is all on the shoulders of the hosts and although there’s much trickier games around the corner coming thick and fast against Division One opposition, Galway and Tyrone, today’s affair won’t be a walk in the park.
On paper, Kieran McGeeney’s men are the stronger team and they’ve added Ben Crealey, Stefan Campbell and Aidan Nugent to the starting line-up, with Barry McCambridge, Conor Turbitt and Shane McPartlan all on the bench.
Jemar Hall is also an option having returned from injury, while Connaire Mackin and Callum Cumiskey are others that can make good impacts if needed.
There’s also the element of home advantage and that should play its part as the Armagh fans usually come out in full voice to support their side. That could be crucial if the Orchard county are under pressure during the game.
When all is said and done, Armagh should join Galway at the top of the group, but only if their heads are right.
Westmeath are no slouches, but they’re not at the level of Armagh and no matter how big of a battle they put up, that should tell in the end.
