WE’RE VIN IT TO WIN IT

St Loman’s (Westmeath)

Moorefield (Kildare) Tomorrow, O’moore Park, 2pm

BY

AN hour or so after holders St Vincent’s were knocked out of the AIB Leinster club Championship in the quarter-finals, St Loman’s were installed as the new favourites.

Strangely, they now go into tomorrow’s final as slight underdogs despite doing everything that was expected of them to reach the decider.

That anomaly aside, this is a strong St

Loman’s side that’s been fancied for a big breakthrough from a long way out.

They’ve won the last three Westmeath Championships and did so this season in serious style, blasting 19-104 and an average of 23 points per game.

The one blot on their copybook was the opening round draw with Mullingar Shamrocks, their town rivals. It was the one occasion Luke Dempsey’s side didn’t score a goal as the game descended into a bitter war of attrition and personal battles.

Moorefield boss Ross Glavin (inset) has done plenty of homework on Loman’s, even getting an extra week to do so after last Sunday’s postponement, and may take a leaf out of the Shamrocks’ book. Loman’s captain Paul Sharry admitted it was the one time during their Championship campaign that their attack-minded system came unstuck.

Sharry said: “That was because it was one of those real rivalry games. It’s not really football in those games, it’s more passion and heart that gets you through.

“In other games in Westmeath, the closest any team got to us was eight or nine points. We have done reasonably well in Leinster too, both this year and generally speaking.

“We have played against St

Vincent’s and

Ballyboden and pushed those teams hard who would have went on to win

All-irelands.”

Moorefield will certainly have a plan to curb the influence of top Loman’s attackers John

Heslin, Shane

Dempsey and ex-offaly forward

Ger

Casey.

But Glavin may well feel that his own side, who also won all their games in

Kildare after a Round 1 draw, have enough in the tank to win an open and attacking encounter.

Ex-kerry underage forward Eanna O’connor is Moorefield’s key man up front while Niall Hurley-lynch had a stormer, particularly in the first-half, in

beating Rathnew. Experienced Kevin Murnaghan has also been running the hard yards from his wing-forward slot and troubling opponents. Former Westmeath captain Sharry reckons his side are generally stronger this year.

He said: “The big thing is that our panel is a lot stronger. Some of the boys who were travelling are after coming back, particularly the two wingforwards; Kieran Lynam and Conradh Reilly.

“So our panel is definitely much stronger and that makes a huge difference in club football.”