John Shaw.Darren McCormack.Andrew Mitchell.Cormac Boyle. Four winning captains from Christy Ring or Joe McDonagh Cup finals for Westmeath, beginning with that famous inaugural swashbuckling day in 2005 when Killian Cosgrove (my old classmate in St Finian’s College) notched that score to seal the win and allow John Shaw to accept the trophy from the grandchildren of the Cork hero, Christy Ring.
Fast forward through three more victories (with a scoring average in winning finals standing at almost 26 points) and we find ourselves reeling from weekends of desperately contrasting emotions. It has been a rollercoaster.
Against Wexford we went through the fast-paced twist of excitement, only to be brought back to the starting platform by Antrim.
Now, we find ourselves in the queue for a different thrill-ride. Only this time, we have no fast-pass, and we are in line with others who have been waiting to get to the top for longer.
One, in particular, are Faithful to the cause but were disappointed to just miss out on a seat last weekend and they will have to wait for the carriages to come back again (I find the rollercoaster analogy more appropriate than any kind of ‘Grand National only-rans’ like some).
