Despite a heart-warming National League double by our senior hurlers and footballers last Sunday in TEG Cusack Park, there is no respite for either side this weekend, with shamrock-drowning fans in maroon and white unfortunately having to choose whether to travel slightly north-west to Longford to support Colin Kelly’s troops or to undertake a somewhat longer journey due south to cheer on Michael Ryan’s charges.

Remarkably, both teams could secure promotion with victories against opponents against whom we have marginally the better record (see stats below). The hurlers will certainly achieve the long-sought dream of rising to Division 1B if they manage to repeat their round-robin win in January (0-20 to 0-16) against perennially-difficult opposition in Carlow when they line out in O’Moore Park. There was a welcome improvement from Tommy Doyle and his merry men who finished strongly to eliminate Kerry last Sunday, but the Barrowsiders will be a tough nut to crack. There is unlikely to be too much between the teams. As always!

The footballers also finished strongly, and Kelly’s opening three months wearing the football bainisteoir bib have proven to be very successful, with only Armagh preventing a 100 per cent competitive return under the Louth man. Ironically, should Kieran McGeeney’s aforementioned outfit defeat our vanquished opponents last Sunday, Fermanagh, and Westmeath also conjure up what would be a fine win in Glennon Bros Pearse Park, a second consecutive promotion would be achieved. John Heslin and co can, of course, only look after their own side of the street and Longford will be very hard to beat on their own patch, where the home side’s win in the counties’ last meeting two years ago relegated Tom Cribbin’s side to Division 4.

Both sides deserve support. Hopefully, a good portion of loyal fans will manage to roar on both teams, and that the sides on duty will give Westmeath Gaels a major cause to celebrate on the Bank Holiday Monday.

Iarmhí Abú!

Westmeath v. Carlow, previous meetings in the NHL

Played 26 times, Westmeath won 14, drew 0, lost12

30/1/1977, Carlow, Westmeath 5-11 Carlow 2-6

21/10/1979, Cusack Park, Westmeath 2-9 Carlow 2-3

22/11/1981, Collinstown, Westmeath 0-14 Carlow 1-8

27/3/1983, Carlow, Westmeath 3-7 Carlow 1-11

25/2/1990, Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath 0-9 Carlow 0-2

14/10/1990, Cusack Park, Westmeath 3-7 Carlow 0-12

17/11/1991, Carlow, Carlow 0-12 Westmeath 0-8

8/11/1992, Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath 1-12 Carlow 1-9

1/6/1998, Tullamore, Westmeath 4-8 Carlow 1-11

9/5/1999, Carlow, Carlow 2-9 Westmeath 1-5

23/5/2000, Cusack Park, Carlow 3-11 Westmeath 2-11

5/5/2001, Carlow, Westmeath 5-15 Carlow 2-9

13/4/2003, Cusack Park, Westmeath 5-14 Carlow 0-13

23/4/2005, Carlow, Carlow 3-11 Westmeath 3-8

20/4/2008, Limerick, Westmeath 2-12 Carlow 0-12

28/3/2009, Cusack Park, Carlow 2-15 Westmeath 0-15

28/2/2010, Carlow, Carlow 5-17 Westmeath 1-10

2/4/2011, Carlow, Carlow 2-15 Westmeath 1-14

18/3/2012, Carlow, Carlow 2-17 Westmeath 1-16

15/4/2012, Kilkenny, Carlow 1-14 Westmeath 0-12

23/3/2014, Carlow, Carlow 2-21 Westmeath 0-13

22/3/2015, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-14 Carlow 1-13

20/3/2016, Carlow, Carlow 0-20 Westmeath 1-15

26/3/2016, Tullamore, Westmeath 0-10 Carlow 0-8

12/2/2017, TEG Cusack Park, Carlow 1-13 Westmeath 1-11

28/1/2018, Carlow, Westmeath 0-19 Carlow 0-15

Westmeath v. Longford, previous meetings in the NFL

Played 37 times, Westmeath won 19, drew 2, lost16

18/11/1928, Mental Hospital (Mullingar), Longford 2-3 Westmeath 1-3

25/11/1928, Longford, Westmeath 1-6 Longford 1-3

31/8/1930, Mental Hospital (Mullingar), Westmeath 5-5 Longford 2-7

15/11/1931, Longford, Westmeath 9-9 Longford 4-2

20/11/1932, Athlone, Westmeath 3-3 Longford 1-4

4/3/1934, Longford, Westmeath 0-9 Longford 1-0

25/11/1934, Granard, Westmeath 3-4 Longford 1-8

26/10/1936, Cusack Park, Longford 1-10 Westmeath 1-1

16/10/1938, Cusack Park, Longford 1-7 Westmeath 0-4

15/10/1939, Longford, Longford 4-4 Westmeath 1-8

10/11/1940, Cusack Park, Longford 1-8 Westmeath 2-4

24/11/1946, Cusack Park, Longford 2-5 Westmeath 1-6

8/11/1953, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-7 Longford 1-4

7/11/1954, Longford, Westmeath 2-5 Longford 0-9

7/11/1955, Longford, Longford 1-6 Westmeath 0-5

18/11/1956, Cusack Park, Westmeath 3-7 Longford 1-5

23/3/1958, Longford, Longford 1-5 Westmeath 1-4

22/3/1959, Cusack Park, Longford 1-5 Westmeath 0-3

29/11/1959, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-13 Longford 0-3

27/11/1960, Longford, Westmeath 2-8 Longford 0-7

4/3/1962, Longford, Westmeath 1-8 Longford 1-6

3/3/1963, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-7 Longford 0-8

9/2/1964, Longford, Longford 1-12 Westmeath 1-7

7/3/1965, Athlone, Westmeath 4-11 Longford 3-5

16/4/1972, Longford, Longford 0-16 Westmeath 3-5

12/10/1975, Longford, Longford 1-7 Westmeath 0-9

5/10/1980, Cusack Park, Westmeath 1-5 Longford 0-3

22/10/1989, Cusack Park, Longford 1-14 Westmeath 2-9

28/11/1993, Longford, Westmeath 1-9 Longford 2-6 (draw)

20/3/1994, Longford, Westmeath 2-10 Longford 2-8

13/11/1994, Athlone, Westmeath 1-8 Longford 0-11 (draw)

16/2/1997, Longford, Longford 1-10 Westmeath 0-7

16/11/1997, Longford, Westmeath 2-8 Longford 1-10

20/4/2003, Roscommon, Westmeath 1-16 Longford 2-12

8/2/2004, Longford, Longford 2-12 Westmeath 1-13

10/2/2013, Longford, Westmeath 2-7 Longford 1-8

3/4/2016, Longford, Longford 0-13 Westmeath 0-11