Striving for their first Westmeath senior football county title since 2014, Garrycastle will feature in the showpiece fixture against St. Lomans, Mullingar, a game which throws in on Sunday afternoon in Cusack Park at 3.30pm.
With both clubs aspiring to attain their eighth senior football county title, this should be an exhilarating final. Playing with high intensity levels and pressurising the ball at all times being a prevalent ethos amongst both playing squads ensures that Sunday's game will not disappoint supporters and neutrals in the crowd.
An eleven point loss to St. Lomans in the final round robin fixture must be bridged and overcome should the Gary Dolan/John Keane managed Garrycastle annex their first title in five years.
Speaking this week, Garrycastle club captain, Doron Harte, who missed the 2014 final through injury, is looking forward to the encounter on Sunday afternoon.
"Hopefully, we will be there or thereabouts come the final whistle. The mood in the camp is one of positivity, and since Gary and John took over the management reins prior to last year's championship this team has been on an upward curve," Doron remarked.
With strong numbers in attendance at training sessions during the league and championship campaigns, a healthy team dynamic has evolved culminating in the final appearance this weekend.
"There has been a complete and unified approach to training all season. John focuses on our warm up drills and physical aspect of our game, while Gary analyses our play from a footballing perspective. With a healthy mix of experience and youth amongst the squad, competition for places on the team has proved healthy and really concentrates the mind during training," Doron continued.
A five week break between the ultimate round robin game and the semi-final win over Mullingar Shamrocks was beneficial as a number of key players who had accumulated injuries during the playing of five group one fixtures in a six week period were able to rehab and recover prior to the victory over the reigning champions.
"The goal proved crucial in the semi-final and allowed us to keep Mullingar Shamrocks at a distance over the duration, but with the final in mind, we have to bridge an eleven point gap before a ball is thrown in! This will enquire raising our work rate and endeavour to another level if we are to compete and become county champions once again. With this management and squad of players, I have a firm belief that we can achieve victory," Doron commented.
The former Westmeath footballer is hopeful of adding to his county medal haul on Sunday, featuring in a corner back berth in 2001, the year in which Garrycastle won their inaugural senior championship.
"Having missed the final in 2014 through injury, it increases the hunger level for success and hopefully we will be celebrating county title success on Sunday evening," Doron enthused.
