Pàidì: we were on a hiding to nothing

PAIDÍ Ó Sé is optimistic that Westmeath can resurrect their season in the All-Ireland Qualifiers after the Leinster champions were dethroned by Kildare on Sunday.

Ó Sé believes the pressure of defending their provincial crown may have cost Westmeath dearly.

"We were on a hiding to nothing," he said. "We were Leinster champions and no longer a surprise package. Kildare were hungry and hurt. They were 'wounded' after Wexford knocked them out in the first round last year. And they were hungrier than we were.''

However, it wasn't all doom and gloom. The All Ireland winning manager was impressed by their opening quarter.

"Westmeath are a good side, well able to play football," he added. "But, I would say that a good Kildare team beat them. I'm not saying that we didn't have our chances we had plenty. I like to think I am a good loser, but I don't like losing. At the end of the day the hungrier team won."

While the early penalty miss didn't help their cause, Ó Sé said he was entirely sympathetic towards Alan Mangan, whose shot was easily saved.

"Alan is an amateur player. I have seen fellows that are getting a couple of hundred grand a week playing soccer and they still miss penalties. And, it's a much easier kick! I wouldn't be hard on that young man for that and I said that to him at half-time.''

He believes that Kildare were given an unexpected boost after Ronan Sweeney's dismissal explaining: "You have a configuration of situations when a team is a player down. Number one, you are in a situation where players don't have to be asked to give the extra 10% it comes instinctively and naturally from them.''

Offaly coach Kevin Kilmurry isn't long enough involved in management to share Ó Sé's philosophy, but for all the bad finishing which cost his team victory against Mick O'Dwyer's Laois, he was pleased with the way his team proved the critics wrong.

"It was always going to be close, regardless of what people think of Offaly football. If you looked at the betting last week, Offaly were 15/1 to win Leinster and Laois were 13/8. It was a 'no-burner,' as far as the people were concerned with their money,'' he said.

"In the first half we owned the ball. Some of our players gave very good performances and you'd have to take your hat off to them. These guys have been castigated for the last two years. I have seen reports in the papers here, there and everywhere and have listened to people compare them to other teams.

"It's fine to say that Laois were bad in the first half. But they were not able to play. It was a case of them not being able to keep up with us," said the Offaly boss.