PREVIEW: Dublin v Westmeath Leinster Senior Football Final

Image courtesy Paul Lundy

Dublin will look to regain the Leinster Senior Football title, when they face Westmeath in this Sunday’s provincial decider at Croke Park (2pm).

There is a strong sense of anticipation among supporters ahead of the decider, with Dublin looking to build on their encouraging semi-final win over Louth, while their opponents will be chasing only their second title at this level, following their previous success back in 2004.

Of course, Westmeath’s stock has been rising all year, starting off with their O’Byrne Cup triumph back in January, with captain Ronan Wallace giving a memorable performance that night, kicking 1-7 from wing-back in their victory over Kildare.

Their NFL Division 3 campaign was a mixed bag but they looked well set for promotion before suffering a sucker punch in the dying embers of their final group game against Wexford, conceding a late goal in that 2-16 to 1-18 loss.

Their ability to bounce back from that disappointment not only reflects well on the team but also on manager Mark McHugh, and they showed all their talents when beating favourites Meath in the provincial quarter-final, having eased past Longford in the preliminary round.

That 4-18 to 0-25 win over the Royals highlighted the scoring threat they possess and while Luke Loughlin is an obvious loss in attack, the likes of Brandon Kelly and Sam McCartan have stepped up to the plate in his absence, as witnessed by their contributions in their semi-final win against Kildare.  

Whether they are allowed to influence Sunday’s contest will depend on the tightness of the Dublin defence, one that was bolstered by the return from injury of Theo Clancy. 

Absentees are still an issue, however, with question marks surrounding the availability of captain Con O’Callaghan and Eoin Murchan. Luke Breathnach’s bright cameo off the bench against Louth was a positive development, however, as was the sparkling form of Cormac Costello. 

In contrast to many of the Leinster finals over Dublin’s recent period of dominance, there is a welcome competitive edge to Sunday’s encounter, one which brings the counties together for the first time at this stage since 2016.

The match will be preceded by the LGFA Leinster Final between Dublin and Kildare that starts at 12pm.

If you can't make it to Croke Park, Dublin v Westmeath will be shown live on RTE2, with coverage starting at 1.30pm.