Preview: Louth Footballers begin O'Byrne Cup by hosting Westmeath

We are just a couple of days into 2023 but already we have inter-county action to look forward to with the start of the O’Byrne Cup.

After a decent a second year in charge of the Wee County, Mickey Harte begins the new season with a gruelling three game schedule, two of which see them hit the road.

They have been paired up Westmeath, Kildare and Wexford in this year's competition, which sees the Wee County playing tonight, Saturday afternoon and then again next Wednesday evening. 

First up is a date with the Lake County, with the two counties colliding at the Centre of Excellence in Darver (Throw in 8PM).

You don’t have to go back very far to find the last competitive fixture between Louth and the men in maroon, as the sides locked horns in last season’s National League in Ardee, back in February 2022.

They trailed early on after John Heslin bagged a fortuitous goal, however Harte’s troops bounced back in style, Sam Mulroy notching 11 frees from all over the park in a stunning two-point win.

Some of the best players both counties have to offer faced off much more recently when St Mary’s and the Downs GFC were matched up in the Leinster Senior Club Championship.

On that day the Louth Champions were a shadow of themselves and didn’t show their immense quality. They had been through a tough schedule of fixtures, whereas the Mullingar based outfit had a few weeks off to rest and prepare for the tie.

Luke Loughlin starred for his team that day. Also featuring in this match was another county star in Johnathan Lynam.

Could they end up facing the likes of Ardee's Pauric McKenny and Tom Jackson and again, who both featured in the recent Louth All Stars game? 

Speaking of that encounter, the post Christmas outing gave Harte a chance to look at some of his extended panel in action, with the likes Beanon Corrigan (Geraldines), Kieran McArdle (St Brides), Shane Byrne (Roche Emmets) and Peter McStravick (Young Irelands) all featuring. 

There was also a first glimpse in public of St Mochtas forward Declan Byrne in between the sticks, having rejoined the squad to rival James Califf for the Louth No1 jersey. Also involved was hurling stalwart Paul Matthews, who bagged a goal in their 3-9 to 2-10 victory.

Darver hosts a feast of festive GAA action

Louth GAA Year in Review: Mickey Harte brings national glory back to the Wee County

Of course this was the Wee County's first real game in front of a live crowd since last Summer, when they were knocked out of the race for Sam Maguire by Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, 2-12 to 2-8, despite putting it up to the Rebels for large periods.

But of course the year is better remembered for their heroics in Croke Park, as Louth brought home a national title when getting the better of Limerick, 1-14 to 0-12 in the National League Division Three Final.   

Westmeath too had a year to remember, but peaked later in year in the championship and not in the league.

Unlike Louth, they failed to qualify for the All-Ireland Championship due to not winning promotion to Division Two of the league or making it to the Leinster Final. They were dumped out of the province in the semi-final by Kildare.

Instead they went on a memorable Summer run in the Tailteann Cup, ending their season on a high note as they accounted for Cavan, 2-14 to 1-13, to land the title in Croke Park. Along the way they also defeated the likes of Offaly and Laois.

This is a big test for both sides, who will of course want to start the year on a positive note. A defeat for Louth would leave them needing some big results on the road to progress to the knockout stages.

But January in the GAA world is all about experimentation. It is the only time to test new players out, try established names in new positions or see how well those tactics and gameplans tested in training actually work in practice. 

A run in the O'Byrne Cup is great and all, but Mickey Harte will know that his year won't be remembered for how well he did in pre-season fixtures. It is all about performing come the National League and the championship.

Louth lost all three games in the competition last year, and while it took them a while to get going come their Division Three campaign, overall it ended up being a positive year. So maybe don't worry too much about tonight's result.