Ronan O'Toole: Westmeath thriving due to Tailteann Cup opportunities

Ronan O'Toole smiles when he reflects that Saturday’s Tailteann Cup final will be Westmeath’s sixth championship game this year.

The Lake County beat Longford, lost narrowly to Kildare and then beat Offaly, Laois and Carlow in the Tailteann Cup.

"It’s unreal to be playing championship at this time of the year and that’s what we really want, we strive for that," he states.

"After we lost to Kildare, we took Tuesday off and we reset and refreshed.

"We said we would give this a really good rattle and, lucky enough, we are in the final and hopefully we make it four wins out of four.

"I think all of us enjoy playing for realistic silverware," he added.

"Robbie Forde, Nigel Harte and these players have really come on this year with the extra games.

"As I say, this our sixth championship game this year, as compared to playing two and facing being out of contention."

Win, lose or draw on Sunday, there is no doubt that this Westmeath team is developing nicely.

With a fine backroom team, including manager Jack Cooney, Cathal Mullin, Dessie Dolan and John Keane, the team has a nice mix of youth and experience and a fine blend of power and pace.

"The Tailteann Cup allows us to develop more and get more exposure," O’Toole, a senior analyst with JP Morgan adds.

"In a normal season we could be out, but instead we are playing for silverware at the business-end and you can see silverware at the end of the line.

"It’s also a chance to play at Croke Park in front of a huge crowd and it gives a huge incentive to all players – young and old – to go and give this a good rattle."

O'Toole was a wide-eyed young boy when he watched Westmeath win the 2004 Leinster title.

That team featured Dessie Dolan and John Keane – both players at different ends of the