Westmeath SHC Final - Clonkill v Castletown-Geoghegan (Cusack Park, Sunday 3.30pm )
Clonkill, with four titles to their name over the past decade are fancied to add another one when they take on an up-and-coming Castletown-Geoghegan side in this year’s county decider on Sunday. Castletown look well equipped to be major players in the coming years but they may have to lose one before they win one.
Experience is a valuable commodity when contesting any final and with most of the Clonkill side having already tasted significant success mixed with some notable failures over the past decade they look well equipped to deal with the very real threat posed by an upwardly mobile Castletown.
The manner in which Castletown disposed of Raharney in their semi-final surprised many and will have made Clonkill sit up and take note. They are unlikely to get caught napping when Barry Kelly throws in the sliotar on Sunday.
The likes of Brendan Murtagh, Andrew Mitchell, the two Prices, Enda Loughlin, Paddy Dowdall, and Luke Folan give Clonkill an edge in terms of proven match-winners at this level.
Many of Castletown’s young guns like Aonghus Clarke and Niall O’Brien are also used to winning championships, albeit not at senior level. They will complement the experience of the likes of Pat Clarke, Ronan Whelan, Joe Clarke, and Alan Mangan as they attempt to upset the odds.
It has all the ingredients of a humdinger but at the end of the day Clonkill’s greater experience should be enough to see them home with their noses in front.
