'It would mean everything to the club' - Alan Mangan

As Castletown Geoghegan prepare to face Lough Lene Gaels in the Westmeath Senior 'A' Hurling Championship final on Sunday (throw-in 3.30pm), team manager Alan Mangan admits that the five-week wait since their semi-final victory has been a challenge.

Mangan, a former player with the club, has led Castletown for three years, winning the senior title in his first year in charge in 2022. Now, with the club eyeing their 15th county title, Mangan reflects on the team's preparation and the hunger within the squad to bring home more silverware.

“It’s been a long wait now, five weeks since we last played a competitive match,” Mangan said. “It’s tough to keep the lads focused over such a long period without a game, but what can you do? We’ve all had to dig deep to maintain the intensity, and other teams have been in this position before, so we just have to deal with it," continued the former Westmeath football star.

Castletown Geoghegan are no strangers to success, having claimed the title two years ago. Yet Mangan believes the current squad has the potential to achieve even more. “It’s a great achievement for a small club like ours,” he acknowledged. “But if you ask the players, and even myself when I was playing, we feel like we’ve underachieved. We should have a lot more titles. Hopefully, this weekend we can add another one to the list.”

Reflecting on their journey through this year’s championship, Mangan admits it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. “We had a comfortable win against an understrength Clonkill side, but the Lough Lene Gaels game was a different story,” he recalled. “They had 12 wides in the first half, and if they’d been more clinical, the game would have been much closer. We might have been under serious pressure to even win it.”

With Lough Lene Gaels returning to the final after last year’s narrow two-point defeat to Raharney, Mangan is fully aware of the challenge his side faces. “The Gaels were unlucky last year, and it says a lot about their character that they’re back in the final,” he said. “They’ve got some excellent hurlers, and the county team is full of Lough Lene Gaels players. We know what they’re capable of, and we’ll have to be at our very best to bring the cup home.”

Mangan’s management team includes the highly experienced Derek Gallagher, Damien McLoughlin, and Patrick Clarke, all of whom have contributed significantly to the team’s preparations. However, Mangan admits that securing challenge matches to maintain match sharpness has been difficult.

“We’ve managed to get a couple of challenge games in, but it hasn’t been easy,” he explained. “At this time of year, so many players are tied up with football and hurling commitments, so it’s tough to get competitive matches. We got one or two good games, but not as many as we would have liked.”

Despite the challenges, Mangan is confident that his squad is in good shape ahead of the final. “We’re in a good place in terms of injuries, touch wood,” he said. “It’s all about keeping the lads fresh and ready. We’ve got one or two hard sessions left, but the focus is on making sure everyone is fit and well for Sunday.”

Having lost three county finals in a row before their triumph in 2022, Mangan understands the pressure and the motivation that comes with competing at this level.

“We know what it’s like to lose finals, and we know how much it means to win one,” he said. “Lough Lene Gaels will be coming in hungry, but so are we. We’re determined to add another title to our name.”

For Mangan, winning the final would be a fitting reward for the hard work and dedication of his players and management team. “We’ve got a great group of lads, and everyone has put in a massive effort this year. Nothing short of our best will be good enough, but we’re ready for the challenge," he said.

Overall, the battle for the new Westmeath Examiner Cup promises to be a fiercely contested affair, but Mangan’s focus is clear: “We’re looking forward to Sunday and hopefully correcting the mistakes of the past. It would mean everything to the club and the community to bring the cup home.”