The eagerly awaited draw for the 2011 Westmeath senior football championship took place recently and as always sparked plenty of debate with some intriguing clashes in store.
The opening round of games is fixed for the weekend of May 8 with the second round possibly taking place the following weekend.
The opening round of games is as follows:
Group 1- Tyrrellspass v Castledaly, Tubberclair v Killucan, and St Loman’s v St Malachy’s
Group 2- Garrycastle v Athlone, Maryland v Bunbrosna, and Mullingar Shamrocks v The Downs
There is no doubt it is an exciting draw and with most clubs back in training it will give all players something to focus on in the coming weeks. The county league gets under way this weekend with a full round of games down for decision, weather permitting.
Group 2 would appear the tougher group with the reigning champions Garrycastle and beaten finalists Mullingar both included. Yet there is no such thing as an easy group. On first glance I would fancy St Loman’s to top Group 1 and take a semi-final spot with Killucan and Tyrrellspass claiming quarter-final spots. Graham Geraghty might beg to differ and how he fares with Castledaly will be interesting to see. Killucan made great strides forward last year under the guidance of Dermot Brady and Aidan Lennon and they will also have their sights set on building on that progress. Tubberclair have a number of long term injury concerns and reports that a number of players heading stateside won’t help their cause.
In Group 2 Garrycastle set the standard as they go in search of three in a row and will be most people’s favourites to top the group. Mullingar Shamrocks and Athlone will fancy their chances of making the knock-out stages but it is far from a foregone conclusion. There will be a real battle in this group to secure the vital top three spots.
From a players’ point of view it is great to get the fixtures so far in advance. Dates for further championship fixtures are expected in the coming weeks. Hopefully common sense will prevail this year (unlike previous years ) and the August bank holiday weekend which is the main holiday period will be left free of games in both codes. It’s not too much to ask for. Is it?
