Westmeath U-20 team named to face Offaly in opener

The Westmeath under-20 football team has been named for the Leinster championship opener against Offaly tonight (Wednesday). Faithful Fields, close to Kilcormac, is the venue for the meeting of the midland neighbours (throw-in 7.30pm).

There are six survivors from the team which started last year's All-Ireland 'B' final in which Westmeath lost out to Down - Seanaí Bracken, Adam Keane, Shane Ormsby, Tadhg Baker, Ronan Murray and Jack Duncan.

In addition, three of the subs introduced against Down - Shane Corcoran, Tiarnán O’Donovan and Matthew Thornton - are part of the match-day panel of 24. The aforementioned Ormsby and Keane have featured on some match-day squads during the Westmeath senior team’s league campaign this year.

There are six Tubberclair players on the overall panel of 35, while Mullingar Shamrocks have the second highest representation with five players.

Tubberclair and Shamrocks have shared the last three Westmeath Division 1 minor titles, with Tubberclair winning two of them. The 2024 minor championship was run as an under-18 competition, while it was U-17 for the previous two years.

The Westmeath manager is Kenny McKinley, part of the All-Ireland winning minor team of 1995. McKinley is a former St Loman's player who guided St Malachy's to Westmeath intermediate championship success in 2023.

McKinley is assisted by Tommy Cleary (The Downs), Gary Connaughton (Tubberclair), Mick Dillon (Milltown) and Ronan Kiernan (St Paul's).

Westmeath's second round match in the Dalata Hotel Group Leinster U-20 Football Championship is at home to Meath next Wednesday, April 2, with the third round away to Dublin on April 9.

Westmeath team (vs Offaly):

1. Luke Nicholson (Athlone)

2. Sean Dillon (Milltown)

3. Seanaí Bracken (St Loman's Mullingar)

4. Aodhan Curran (Moate All Whites)

5. Kealan Connell (Tubberclair)

6. Billy Moffatt (The Downs)

7. Adam Keane (Rosemount)

8. Shane Ormsby (Mullingar Shamrocks)

9. Tadhg Baker (Caulry)

10. Ryan Kelly (Mullingar Shamrocks)

11. Finn Duffy (Tubberclair)

12. Peter Murphy (St Malachy's)

13. Shane Corcoran (St Malachy's)

14. Ronan Murray (Moate All Whites)

15. Jack Duncan (Milltown).

Subs: Eoin Doran (Mullingar Shamrocks), Matthew Thornton (Multyfarnham), Tiarnán O'Donovan (Caulry), Eoghan Daly (Coralstown/Kinnegad), Gareth Mullaniff (Multyfarnham), Daire O'Connor (Tubberclair), Taylor Slevin (Tubberclair), Tom Bourke (Tubberclair), Oisín Shortall (Caulry).

Rest of panel: Tom Gorman (Moate All Whites), Jack Mulvihill (Garrycastle), Paul Keegan (Tubberclair), Ben Sheerin, Donnacha Maguire (both Mullingar Shamrocks), Ronan Greene, June Auld (both Multyfarnham), Daniel McCann, Mikey Weir (both St Loman's Mullingar), Rory Cole, Connor Callaghan (both Coralstown/Kinnegad).