'We have a good chance to win this competition' - Westmeath's Maguire keen on Tailteann tilt

Westmeath's Kevin Maguire at the Tailteann Cup launch at Croke Park

Westmeath captain Kevin Maguire reckons boss Jack Cooney had a point when he complained about not enough time being played during their Leinster semi-final loss to Kildare.

Cooney was frustrated that referee Sean Hurson blew for full-time just 'five or six seconds' after the allotted four minutes of stoppage time had elapsed at Croke Park - despite two bookings during that period.

Westmeath had scored five of the game's last six points, cutting a seven-point deficit to just three when Hurson blew for full-time and halted their gallop, redirecting them into the Tailteann Cup this weekend.

"I can understand Jack's frustration," said Maguire. "That's something that really needs to be looked at. It often happens in added time that teams try to slow down the game, there's a few fouls and it's kind of left to the ref's discretion to add on an extra 30 seconds or whatever, to the added time.

"It happens sometimes and it doesn't happen other times which, I suppose, isn't very consistent. So yeah, it could be something worth looking at. I can understand his frustration."

Westmeath will travel to play Laois on Sunday. It's a fall from grace for both counties who won consecutive Leinster titles in the early 2000s. Defender Maguire views it as a useful competition at this stage of the team's development.

"We would think we have a good chance to win this competition," said the Caulry man. "We play football because we love it but we also play because we want silverware, we want to win. 

"It's no fun going out and losing, we're not here to do that, this really does give us a platform, something that we can get some silverware from at the end of the day, which is what it's all about."