‘Second-year syndrome’ won’t faze Páidí ahead of O’Byrne Cup tie

IT used to be that new managers were granted an initial bedding-in period, a time to get a true feel for their new surroundings and the new players.

Year one was the learning curve, year two the hoped-for delivery date and year three - if you were lucky - the last-chance saloon.

Not any more, not in Gaelic football, at any rate.

The last five years of championship fare is littered with managers whose lights have burned brightest in their first year at the helm.

Joe Kernan assumed control in Armagh in 2001 and made an All-Ireland title within three years his stated goal. Thirteen months on, that mission was already accomplished.

One year on and Mickey Harte had matched Big Joe’s feat, while Jack O’Connor managed a clean sweep of league, Munster and All-Ireland titles with Kerry last September.

It’s not just All-Ireland winners who have been bucking the old trend either. In recent seasons, John Maughan, Charlie Mulgrew and Luke Dempsey have all worked the oracle in almost equally spectacular fashion in their rookie years with Mayo, Fermanagh and Westmeath.

Two exiled Kerrymen, Mick O’Dwyer and Páidí Ó Sé, have delivered long sought-after Leinster titles to Laois and Westmeath within months of their arrivals.

The flip side to all this, of course, is that raised expectations are hard to match year after year. Dempsey found that out with Westmeath and it didn’t take long for Laois supporters to begin questioning Micko when last year’s promise evaporated against Westmeath and Tyrone.

Yet, for Westmeath selector Paddy Collins, talk of ‘second-year syndrome’ for his side is just that. Talk.

“I don’t think it’s fair on Laois to say they were caught out by this ‘second-year syndrome’ thing last year,” he said. “Kevin Fitzpatrick was through on our goal in the last minute and if his shot had been a couple of inches the other side of the post it would have been a draw for the second game in a row. That’s how close they were to another Leinster title.

“They were just unfortunate to be out against Tyrone again the next week with so many injuries, that’s all.

“As for us, it’s not something we’re thinking of at all. I know certainly that Páidí wouldn’t hear of anything like it. How many Munster and All-Ireland titles did he win year after year as a player?”

Westmeath’s hopes of building on their breakthrough success in 2004 appeared almost still-born this week when James Davitt became the 11th player from last year’s squad to hand in his chips, but the corner-back was persuaded to return to the set-up on Thursday.

“We’re delighted to have James back on board and other than the well-publicised defections from last year’s squad, which happened for one reason or another, all the players are still totally committed to putting in another huge effort with Westmeath this year,” said Collins.

Davitt’s u-turn is a welcome slice of good news for a panel decimated by withdrawals, injuries and a flu bug that has already deprived Ó Sé of Dessie Dolan and Donal O’Donoghue’s services for tomorrow’s O’Byrne Cup match with neighbours Longford.

Such losses can be absorbed in January. Of more interest to the manager will be the performances of the youngsters drafted in to fill the gaps left by the exodus, which includes almost their entire half-forward line.

Dennis Glennon’s younger brother David is cup-tied after an outing with Athlone IT, but former Athlone Town and Longford Town player Paddy Mulvihill and young Daniel McDermott are two other forwards in contention.

Westmeath will have to hit the ground running in this local derby, although a repeat of last year’s O’Byrne Cup hysteria that carried them to the final against Meath in front of a full house is unlikely.

“There won’t be a repeat of that. There’s not the same buzz about the tournament in general this year. It’s only January,” said Collins.