'We're here to compete with anybody': McHugh hails Westmeath win

Westmeath’s manager Mark McHugh celebrates with John Heslin. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Leinster SFC final: Westmeath 2-28 Dublin 0-26 (After extra-time)

They talked a lot around Westmeath about 2004 in the lead up to the Leinster SFC final, the one and only time the county had managed to lift the Delaney Cup.

Mark McHugh was only a chap 22 years ago, growing up in far off Donegal, so that Páidí Ó Sé inspired win hardly resonated with him. What his dad, Martin, did with Cavan in 1997 though, leading an adopted county to a rare provincial title, was much more relevant.

And almost 30 years on from Wee Martin's achievement, Mark has pretty much done the very same thing himself.

"I did read somewhere during the week that I think this puts myself and Dad in some sort of category of winning Ulster titles as players and winning provincial provincial titles with other counties as managers," said Westmeath manager Mark. "That's a nice feeling."

It must be sweet for sure, a Croke Park win against all the odds.

There were a million different angles to this landmark success, like how Westmeath moved from five behind to four ahead in the second half of normal time, how they almost let victory slip and then took the game to extra time with a point from super sub Senan Baker. 

There was the incredible conditioning the Division 3 outfit displayed in extra time, opening up with an unanswered 1-4 to effectively seal the deal. And there was the impressive cameo delivered by John Heslin who was dramatically recalled from retirement in the wake of the season-ending injury suffered by talisman forward Luke Loughlin.

Impressive too was how Westmeath refused to accept that beating Meath and Kildare amounted to a great provincial campaign - they wanted to go right to the very top, and did so by winning back-to-back extra-time encounters.

But the really significant thing about this group is that McHugh has turned them from serial losers, or at least a side that didn't seem to be able to win any games of significance under Dermot McCabe last year, into a team of serial winners.

"My biggest message to the county would be, build on this," said Westmeath defender Matthew Whittaker. "Don't just be happy because an unbelievable manager has come in and got a squad together to believe and to push us on to do something great. The whole county needs to really capitalise on this now and to really push on and set higher standards for ourselves and for the next generation coming through."

There's plenty more to play for in 2026 too for Westmeath. They'll have home advantage for an All-Ireland SFC Round 1 clash with Cavan, now managed by McCabe of course, at the end of the month.

"I don't think anybody will write us off as badly again in the future," said McHugh. "We're here to compete with anybody. We've a dressing-room of players that we feel is fit to compete with anybody in Ireland."

Kerry great Ó Sé used to speak in the same bold terms when in charge of Westmeath.

"I met him only a few months before he died," said McHugh. "I was just looking back on that during the week."

Truth be told, it isn't a particularly vintage Dublin team right now but Westmeath still had to smash through all sorts of glass ceilings to get the job done at the home of the Sky Blues. They hadn't beaten Dublin in the Championship since 2004 and were cannon fodder for the Sky Blues throughout the golden era years, suffering heavy final defeats in 2015 and 2016.

Dublin got it going for a while in the first half this time, reeling off five points in a row between the 18th and 25th minutes to take a 0-8 to 0-4 lead, and they were 0-11 to 0-9 up at half time, but they never looked like pulling away, a la the Jim Gavin years.

Losing Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne at midfield to injury cost Dublin although not immediately and when they hit the first three points of the second half, it was starting to look ominous for the Lake County.

Niall Scully's threaded kick passes were working well for the Dubs, Cormac Costello was on his way to a 0-8 haul for the day and Seán Bugler, after an indifferent start, produced some quality plays.

Then came a breathtaking 15 minutes or so from Westmeath's perspective. They outscored Dublin by 0-12 to 0-3 and lorded it in virtually all departments. Baker was calm and clinical after his introduction, scoring 0-4 in total and setting up a Brandon Kelly point. Sam McCartan came alive too and when Heslin got the nod to come on, Westmeath fans in the 36,536 crowd raised the roof.

Dublin went down fighting at least, replying with five late points, including a Costello two-pointer, to briefly lead until Baker sent the game to extra time.

Closer analysis will reveal that Heslin butchered a decent point chance late in normal time, McCartan kicked a scorable free wide and a late, late point chance to potentially win it was snuffed out.

But it didn't matter a whole pile because when extra time began, there was only one team in it. Westmeath got a couple of fortuitous goals admittedly - Brian Cooney's two-point attempt dropped in over the head of a floundering Evan Comerford and Jack Duncan capitalised after Adam Treanor's buzzer beater point attempt hit the woodwork and fell kindly - but they were full value for the success.

Westmeath scorers: J Duncan (1-1); B Kelly, M Whittaker (1 tp), S Baker (0-4 each); B Cooney (1-0); R Wallace, J Heslin (1 tp, 1 free) 0-3 each; K O'Sullivan, S Allen (1 tp), S McCartan (0-2 each); S Corcoran, C Dillon, R Forde (0-1 each).

Dublin scorers: C Costello (0-8, 4 frees, 1 tpf); C Kilkenny (0-3); N Scully, P Small, D Byrne, S Bugler, S Guiden (1 tp), G McEneaney (0-2 each); E Kennedy, L Breathnach, B Howard (0-1 each).

WESTMEATH: J Daly; C Dillon, C Drumm, D Scahill; T Baker, S Allen, R Wallace; B Cooney, R Connellan; K O'Sullivan, S McCartan, M Whittaker; S Corcoran, J Duncan, B Kelly.

Subs: A Treanor for Scahill (18); R Forde for Duncan (h/t); S Baker for Corcoran (43); S Ormsby for Whittaker (59); J Heslin for Dillon (61). Corcoran for Kelly & Duncan for Allen (e/t), E McCabe for Connellan (83), I Martin for T Baker (84), T Molloy for Cooney (86).

DUBLIN: E Comerford; T Clancy, N Doran, D Byrne; S MacMahon, C McMorrow, E Kennedy; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, B Howard; S Bugler, N Scully, C Kilkenny; P Small, K McGinnis, C Costello.

Subs: L Breathnach for Ó Cofaigh Byrne (16); L Smith for Clancy (59); S Guiden for Breathnach (61); G McEneaney for Kennedy (65). C Murphy for McMorrow (75); C O'Connor for Scully (78); E Dunne for MacMahon (85).

Ref: D Coldrick (Meath).