Kieran Martin sealed the GAA/GPA Opel Footballer of the Month award for June for his performance in Westmeath’s historic defeat of Meath in the Leinster semi-final last month.
A few days after returning to earth in the 13-point provincial final drubbing – although the challengers remained competitive for longer and lost by less than any of Dublin’s other championship opponents so far – Martin reflected on what impressed him most about the champions.
“They have everything but the thing I noticed is how strong they are in the tackle – just, they can tackle properly. They go straight for the ball and you can’t run by them as easy. They’re just so physically strong, fit and mobile; they have everything. They are probably the number one team in the country.”
Martin’s season has showcased his extraordinary versatility, switching between defensive duties and attack, expertly finishing crucial goals in the county’s wins over both Wexford and Meath. After the inspired comeback that won the latter match in which Westmeath scored 3-19, the Leinster final demanded a different approach.
Tom Cribbin’s side set up ultra-defensively but found that while they could cover that end with the tablecloth, it couldn’t simultaneously stretch up the to other end of the table. Whereas the former tactic greatly frustrated Dublin, who led by just 0-8 to 0-4 at half-time – compared to scores of 3-10 and 2-14 run by the break in their previous matches – the consequence also frustrated Westmeath.
“Definitely,” says Martin. “They were getting frustrated and you could see it by them. The game plan was working for us. We knew exactly where to be and what to do. We were trying to maintain that. But the attacking side just didn’t work for us, probably because of the short time (they had to rehearse it).
“But we had a good few opportunities as well. We kicked seven balls short. We had one or two wides. And you have to take those chances against Dublin. Had we taken them, we would have been ahead at half-time and you never know what could have happened from there.”
He said the pressure eventually told and when Dublin began to pressurise them early in the second half, the relentlessness and the unfamiliarity with defensive systems eventually took its toll.
“They pushed everybody up. They brought everybody up past halfway. I think they won probably the first six or seven kick-outs in a row and they just kept applying the pressure.
“Lads probably didn’t have the focus to keep going for that length of time. It is a very tiring game plan and when you’re not used to it, lads will get tired very quick.”
Westmeath remain within one round-four qualifier – against Fermanagh on Saturday week – of a first All-Ireland quarter-final since 2006.
