Southern clubs facing tough tests as Flanagan Cup race begins

The Westmeath Senior Football Championship kicks off this weekend and while clubs from the south of the county are firmly regarded as outsiders for the Flanagan Cup, there are still plenty of intriguing sub plots to follow in the coming weeks and months.

For one thing, it will be interesting to see if the appointment of Pat Flanagan as Caulry manager will help the Mount Temple/Baylin club to build on the progress they have made over recent years.

Last year, Caulry reached their first Westmeath SFC semi-final in modern times – indeed their first since the 1940s, when a very different competition format was in operation.

Former St Brigid’s and Roscommon goalkeeper Shane Curran was in charge of Caulry for the past three years, but the baton has since been handed over to Pat Flanagan.

A former Westmeath and Offaly manager, Flanagan has a hugely successful record in club football, winning senior championship titles with Tyrrellspass, Pádraig Pearses and his native Clara. He guided Pearses to the Fahey Cup on two occasions, including the Woodmount-based club’s first ever triumph, and went on to add a Connacht crown for good measure.

But if Flanagan could bring the Westmeath senior football title to Caulry, it would rank right up there with any of his previous achievements.

In addition to champions St Loman’s Mullingar, Coralstown/Kinnegad (who have been a real bogey team for Caulry in recent years) and The Downs would be rated as ahead of Caulry in the pecking order by many observers. Caulry begin their campaign with a clash against Tyrrellspass, one of Flanagan's former clubs, this Saturday.

2022 champions The Downs put up a very disappointing defence of their title last year, but the absence of key players provided considerable mitigation for their struggles. They were eliminated in the group stages in 2023 and will therefore compete in Section B this year. But with the respected Johnny Murray now in charge, they will be viewed as favourites to clinch one of the two qualification spots in Section B.

Moate All Whites, with Liam McNeill of Roscommon Gaels in charge for a second year, will be looking to cause a surprise against The Downs in the opening round, in a fixture which for many people will bring to mind the many battles the two clubs had in the 1970s. Moate will be looking for a notable impact from the likes of Robbie Forde and Daragh Lowry (a key figure on this year’s Westmeath U20 team which reached the All-Ireland ‘B’ final).

Athlone begin their campaign with a daunting clash against reigning champions St Loman’s Mullingar on Friday evening (TEG Cusack Park, 7.30pm).

Although some people may feel St Loman’s could be more vulnerable to an upset in the early stages, the Mullingar side underlined their considerable capabilities when defeating Coralstown/Kinnegad in the recent ACFL Division 1 final.

Athlone suffered a chastening home defeat at the hands of Loman’s during this year’s ACFL Division 1 campaign. And though Athlone were missing some key players on that occasion, it was an encounter that highlighted the formidable challenge that Paddy Dowdall’s charges will present to all teams.

Tang were one of the stories of last year’s championship as they topped Section B and though they fell to a heavy defeat to Tyrrellspass in the quarter-finals, they could reflect on their campaign with satisfaction. They will operate in Section A this year and will meet last year’s defeated finalists Coralstown/Kinnegad in a tough opening round fixture.

Adrian Coughlan and Colm Donoghue are now joint Tang team managers following the departure of Seamus Quinn during this year's league campaign, which ended in relegation to Division 2.

In the Westmeath Intermediate FC, meanwhile, there will be a lot of focus on whether Garrycastle can bounce straight back up after their surprise demotion last year. Garrycastle were missing the services of several key players last year and with Gary Dolan back at the helm, they will be looking to move back up to the senior ranks at the first time of asking.

The fact that they recently won the ACFL Division 2 final against senior outfit Caulry would suggest that they are the team to beat at intermediate level. But the real tests will come in the championship, where a number of other team will also fancy their chances.

Garrycastle begin their campaign against Milltownpass, who have been so close to the intermediate title in recent years. Indeed, they were edged out by a single point in last year’s decider against St Malachy’s.

Tubberclair are another club who have been close to the intermediate title in recent times and they were only beaten after a replay by Shandonagh in the 2022 final. Last year, they were edged out by Malachy’s by the minimum margin at the semi-final stage and with plenty of talented young players coming through, Daniel Sammon’s side will be aiming to mount a strong challenge for the Peter Geraghty Cup.

The opening round will also see a local derby between Castledaly and Rosemount – two clubs who had to battle without some key players last year. Castledaly are now managed by Thomas McDonnell, who guided Multyfarnham to the Westmeath junior title a couple of years ago. From the Coralstown/Kinnegad club, Thomas is a brother of Emmett McDonnell, who has coaching and management experience with a range of teams.