Injured Flanagan hopes team-mates can book Leinster final place

Given the Indian summer that he has been enjoying this season, it"s doubly cruel that it seems injury is going to rule Martin Flanagan out of Sunday"s Leinster semi-final showdown against Dublin. The experienced midfielder/attacker has been in outstanding form for Westmeath this year, playing a key role as the Lake County secured promotion to Division One of the National Football League for 2009, before adding the Division Two title with victory over Sunday"s opponents Dublin. Flanagan was awarded the man-of-the-match award for his display in the opening round of the Leinster championship against Longford, but an unfortunate injury sustained in the quarter-final against Offaly leaves him extremely doubtful for Sunday"s semi-final. The Tyrrellspass clubman sustained damage to the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee shortly before half-time during the Offaly game and now looks an almost certain non-starter for the eagerly-awaited clash with the Dubs. Undoubtedly one of the most naturally talented footballers ever produced by Westmeath, Flanagan missed out on the county"s historic Leinster championship breakthrough in 2004 - and this year he has seemed extra determined to make up for lost time. His combination of natural ability and athleticism has always made him an exciting player to watch, and many Westmeath fans still vividly recall his stunning "goal of the year" against Laois in Tullamore back in 2000. Flanagan has been around the block for quite a while now and the stamina and fitness level he"s showed this season have surprised many. Many observers reckoned that the 32-year-old would be most useful as a full-forward targetman at this stage of his career, but he has been relishing the extra freedom at midfield. 'I got a bit of a run at it, injury free, and put a few good games back to back. I suppose midfield sort of suits me, there"s plenty of room out there to do whatever. Unfortunately, for the last few weeks, I"ve been struggling with the knee, but hopefully I"ll be ready next Sunday, but it"s looking doubtful at the moment,' Flanagan told the "Westmeath Independent". 'I suppose I"m lucky enough, I don"t carry weight and I stay fit easily enough. I didn"t play (inter-county football) there for two or three years, when they won the Leinster I wasn"t playing, and I didn"t play the year after either. I suppose the break didn"t do me any harm either, and the bones are holding up, so I"m just hoping that my knee will be right for next Sunday.' Speaking last weekend, Flanagan said: 'I"m hoping to play some part (in the game), but, the way it feels at the moment, it"s very doubtful that I will. There are still seven or eight days left so we"ll see, but, at the moment, I"d be very doubtful.' If Flanagan doesn"t make it, Westmeath"s midfield pairing on Sunday will surely be David Duffy and Donal O"Donoghue. Even though Dublin are strong at midfield, with several options to pick from and with Ciaran Whelan returning from suspension, Flanagan has no fears for how his team-mates might fare. 'Dublin are strong at midfield. Myself and Donal (O"Donoghue) played against them in the league and they had Shane Ryan and Darren Magee that day, so they have a big pick and plenty of players to play at midfield, but David Duffy and Donal O"Donoghue, or whoever is going to play midfield on the day, are strong enough to compete with anyone and they will compete. Dublin can pick from Ciaran Whelan and Eamonn Fennell, one of them will probably play with Shane Ryan, but I think the boys will do well. David Duffy did very well against Offaly when he came on and I have no fears. Westmeath have a bit of strength in depth this year, and it"s nice to be able to bring players in when lads are injured.' With their huge support behind them, Dublin can be a very intimidating prospect to face at Croke Park, and Flanagan believes it"s vital not to allow them to get too far ahead on the scoreboard early on. 'You have to stay with them till half-time, then try and put them under a bit of pressure in the second half and maybe try to get their crowd to turn on them a bit. The Dublin crowd doesn"t really have that much patience when Dublin aren"t going well. You have to stick with them for as long as you can and then, maybe in the last 10 or 20 minutes, try to just scrape out a victory,' he said. The Westmeath defence has deservedly received plenty of plaudits this year, but they will face a much more difficult task against a mobile and potentially lethal Dublin attack in the wide open spaces of Croke Park on Sunday. 'The defence has been very consistent all year and they haven"t given away big scores, we"d be hoping for the same next Sunday. I suppose the defence is being helped out by the midfield and the forwards tracking back as well; it"s a 15-man effort,' remarked Flanagan. As for his own preparations for Sunday, up until last weekend, Flanagan had been unable to train. 'I haven"t done anything really since the Offaly match, I"ve just done a bit of straight line running ... at the moment, it"s very doubtful if I"ll be playing any part in the game but then again there are seven or eight days,' he said last weekend. Initial reports suggested Flanagan"s was more serious and there were fears that it could have spelled the end of the season. There was a major sense of relief when the results of the scan confirmed a less bleak prognosis. 'But even a small tear (on the cruciate) usually needs six weeks (to recover),' Flanagan pointed out. 'Trying to get back in three weeks is probably a bit unrealistic, but we"ll see how it goes. At the time, I thought the cruciate was gone and the physios probably thought it was gone, but luckily enough it was just a small tear. 'I suppose, realistically, I"d be aiming to get back for the (Leinster) final, if we get there, hopefully the boys will do it.' Flanagan accepts Sunday"s game will represent a major step-up in intensity from the games Westmeath have faced so far in the Leinster championship. However, the Westmeath camp certainly don"t seem to be overawed by the prospect of facing Dublin in Croke Park. 'It will be a big test for us, but that"s what we"re there for, and we"ll have to rise to the occasion,' added Flanagan.