Dolan proud of his players after unlucky exit
Unsurprisingly, Dessie Dolan was experiencing mixed emotions after his Westmeath charges had exited the Sam Maguire Cup in heart-breaking fashion in Cavan last Sunday after drawing with 2021 All-Ireland champions Tyrone.
A return of one point from three games certainly does not reflect the Lake County’s herculean efforts. Dolan concurred, stating: “It was a difficult group playing Armagh, Galway and Tyrone, but I’m very proud of the players. They played exceptionally well in the three games and performed at a very high level. There has been a bit of commentary that we don’t deserve to be here as Tailteann Cup winners, but there has to be a platform for such teams. We got a taste of it this year and we loved the experience. That’s what it is all about, going toe-to-toe with the top teams in the country.”
When Tyrone went four points clear in the second half, it looked like the game was done and dusted. Accordingly, the Garrycastle legend was particularly proud that his troops had battled to the end. “Our boys never dropped the heads. That’s something that we can be very proud of. We performed to the bitter end. The lads showed belief that sometimes the weaker teams don’t show against bigger teams. Sometimes they cave in. We played for the full match today and the bench did well. We have great spirit and it’s a testament to the group who have worked so hard all year,” he reflected.
The condensed format of the new-style championship has been widely criticised, and Dolan also felt it needed tweaking. He stated: “It’s a lot easier when you win your provincial title and deservedly get a bit of a break. It’s difficult for the likes of us having to dig into subs. The grounds are attritional and you pick up injuries. There’s no rest for lads who have to go to work the next day. Three games in four weeks is too much for amateur players who get no chance to recover after such physical matches. Tyrone are out next weekend as well, but today was a good test for them. The GAA will have to look at player welfare. In all honesty, they would probably be better getting rid of the preliminary quarter-finals.”