by Paul O’Donovan
New Westmeath senior football manager, Jack Cooney will not be focusing on a particular style of football and feels players have to adapt to the modern game. Proud to be given the opportunity to lead his native county, Cooney is focusing on getting players up to the required level and totally committed to the Westmeath cause.
“The game has gone a certain way now, whether people like that or not and it is constantly changing. You need to be able to adapt to the way the game is being played now. There is a lot of emphasis on strength and conditioning and fitness levels and so on. The style of football we play in Westmeath, a lot of it will be determined by the players we have available and by the talent available. A lot of your tactics or your game plans are also dictated by the opposition as well. A lot of work goes into analysing the opposition and they can often determine how your team will play,” he told Topic.
The former Lake County and Coralstown/Kinnegad player is not setting any massive targets, though the hope is that his appointment will generate renewed interest around the county after a poor year in 2017.
“The initial target is to get players on board and get them committed and where we go from that then, we will see. It is very early days to be saying we are going for promotion from the league or we are going for this or that. We will get the players in and start working with them and we will decide then where we want to take it,” remarked Cooney.
He is satisfied to be in place at the opportune time to view the latter stages of the local championships and earmark potential players for 2019.
“The timing of this appointment is probably good. The last few appointments have been probably made later in the year, maybe when the local club championships are over. I suppose I have always had a keen interest in club football in Westmeath and following the local teams in the county but the additional bonus now is that we have been appointed early,” he said.
“I hope to get around to see all the games and that is the best place to see the players, in action for their clubs. So, from that point of view that is the immediate focus, to get around and see as many club games as possible. I suppose the medium term focus is then getting things organised, and plans in place and getting facilities sorted out,” he added.
Cooney has assembled a tight back room team. “I have Pascal Kelleghan from Rhode in Offaly. He is coming in as part of the management team and coach. We have Cathal Mullin, from Garrycastle. He is living in Dublin now, but he is coming in as part of the management team and goalkeeping coach,” he explained.
“Strength and Conditioning will be done by Joe Nangle from Wolfhound Fitness in Mullingar. We have a few other things in the pipeline too that just need to be finalised. So it is going to be a relatively small team, all working hard together,” he added.
He described it as “a privilege and an honour” to manage Westmeath, the county he represented and played for over many years. “I was involved with a few management teams (2004, for example), so to get the job is just great. I’m delighted to represent the people of Westmeath and the people of my own club Coralstown-Kinnegad and I hope to do a good job now to be honest,” he said.
Cooney confirmed that he will be solely concentrating on Westmeath, with roles in his native Coralstown/Kinnegad (since 2017) and Rhode (for the past three years) to be consigned to the past. He has also spent two years with Donegal but from now on his total focus will be on the Lake County.
