Past meetings show Louth need to be wary of Westmeath

Anticipation is building ahead of Sunday’s Leinster Championship opener in Pairc Tailteann, Navan (Throw in 2PM), where Westmeath stand in the way of Louth finally making it back to a provincial semi-final. A feat they have not achieved since 2010, when they were beaten in the final.

While this is a matchup between a team which flirted with promotion to the top-flight and a side that are still trapped in Division Three, Wee County fans should not go into this tie overly confident.

They have watched their team take down the likes Cork, Kildare and of course Meath during a league campaign which also saw them put in very gallant showings against the might of Derry and Dublin. Last year’s two beaten All Ireland Semi-finalists.

The Lake County had their fair share of success, carding four wins of their own. But they all came against the teams ranked below them (Longford, Tipperary, Antrim and Offaly), meaning they rarely looked like gaining promotion.

However Dessie Dolan’s side are the reigning Tailteann Cup Champions, their run to the final and a big win over Cavan in Croke Park happening while Mickey Harte’s side limped out of the championship at the hands of Kildare and Cork.

The sides have met twice in the last 14 months. Let’s look at both of those encounters to get a better picture of how this duel might go down.  

O'Byrne Cup Jan 2023

They last collided horns as recently as January when both teams got 2023 underway under the lights of Darver in the O’Byrne Cup. A Conor Grimes goal just before half time proved to be the difference in what was a tight affair, 1-8 to 0-9.

The Glen Emmet’s clubman originally had his close-range effort blocked down by Westmeath’s Conor McCormack, however he managed to get another touch on it before it went out of play, putting his side in the lead for the first time.

Dessie Dolan’s troops had led up until this point, having scored inside the opening minute. However, in a cagey second half full of countless stoppages for injuries and substitutions, the Wee County managed to keep their opponents to just a single point more to eke out a victory.

Grimes was superb as a target man on the night. Having parked himself mostly along the endline, his fielding and ability to almost plough his way through tackles made him a vital asset for Louth.

Further back the field, Dan Corcoran popped up from corner back with some nice solo runs, which helped make transitional play from defence into attack extremely smooth.

You can expect the pacey transitional ploys to continue on Sunday, but it is rather unlikely we will see Grimes in a target man position.

He has played a deeper role since that match, helping out in midfield and in defence. Just like pretty much all Louth forwards do in their current high work rate game plan.

National League Feb 2022

While it is over a year since they locked horns in Division Three of the National League, this contest in DEFY Pairc Mhuire in February 2022 is probably the better piece of form to take into account ahead of their championship meeting on Sunday.

It came at an important stage for the Wee County, a week after they collected a first win of the league away to Limerick. Louth could not afford to lose, or risk being sucked back into the relegation battle.

They trailed early on as John Heslin bagged a fortuitous goal, however they bounced back in style, Sam Mulroy notching 11 frees from all over the park to record a stunning two-point win, 1-15 to 1-13.

Louth were defensively solid throughout, while the Midlanders were struggling with their shooting, even when breaking free from the shackles of the Louth Red Wall.

Their talisman is often Heslin, but in Ardee the Mullingar man was left largely playing a deeper and deeper role in his team, as he looked to reignite his side’s challenge, win the ball back and force Louth into giving up valuable frees.

He ended the tie with 1-10, 1-2 of which was from play. But even he was forced into errors, notching three wides in a row in the second half.

Intriguingly it was another Grimes goal that helped Louth to victory. This time he reacted the quickest to a Mulroy free that dropped short, fisting it home nicely.

Their key to success was solo running from midfield, Tommy Durnin having played a huge role in this encounter. But at times they struggled to win possession from kick outs, allowing Westmeath the chance to attack instead on the counter. Sounding worryingly familiar to more recent games?

Louth have further perfected their defensive shape in the past 12 months, so expect it that to play an important role in Sunday’s Quarter Final.

Mickey Harte keen to improve Louth’s championship pedigree

Louth no longer a one trick pony - Daire McConnon

Final Thoughts

So after looking at the last two games, what can supporters expect from the game in Navan?

If Louth are to progress, they will need to be able to negate the influence of John Heslin. But having missed the end of the league there is no guarantee he will feature for Dolan’s men. Should he be involved, The Wee County need to be resolute in the tackle, as he can be lethal from frees.

Another to be wary of is Luke Loughlin, who will be well known to Ardee St Mary’s supporters having featured in their Leinster Club Championship clash with the Downs GFC. He has been a potent scorer and provider for his team this season.

Mickey Harte could easily be without their captain Sam Mulroy, but in fairness the scoring burden has been lowered on him this year, with a wide variety of options available to the Louth management. Both in the starting 15 and from the bench.

Key to any success with be their kickout strategy, an element to their game which has let them down at vital times this year.

Get this right, continue to be hard to break down, plus be able counter at pace and Louth can make a big dent in Leinster this season.