Westmeath manager has confidence that his team can win

Anyone who sat in front of a fortune teller this time last year and was told that the main All-Ireland finals in 2020 would be played in an empty Croke Park in the lead up to Christmas would have looked for their ‘piece of silver’ back, writes Gerry Buckley

However, in a most unusual year the Westmeath ladies football team will be in action on Sunday afternoon at an almost deserted GAA headquarters when they take on neighbours and longstanding rivals Meath, in what is an eagerly-awaited showdown for the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup.

Indeed, the surreal aspect of next weekend’s big game was neatly summed up by Lake County manager Sean Finnegan last weekend.

“It’s very unusual, very strange to be preparing on cold wet nights two weeks before Christmas, but we’re really training well and really looking forward to it," commented Finnegan.

"The weather hasn’t been great for the last two weeks and we’ve been training in freezing cold and driving rain for an All-Ireland final.

"The big joke is that there is no smelling the cut grass at the moment," he added.

The bainisteoir hopes to be able to pick from a full squad.

“We’ve a few little niggles at the moment, but that’s natural and hopefully they will clear up," he said.

"We’re training on the astroturf in St Loman’s, Mullingar and that’s caused its own little issues. But there are no major concerns at the moment,” he added.

Finnegan then reflected on his side’s three-game path to the final.

“There is no disrespect intended to Longford or Louth, but we probably – and not intentionally – had a small bit of complacency coming into the Roscommon game.

"They were a very good team, highly motivated and well trained, and we were lucky to get out of that game with a win. There are no ifs or buts about it.

“But that has given us the stick and the carrot to prepare for the final.

"Certainly, after the Roscommon game we had a long hard look at ourselves and we put it to the girls that everything is up for grabs now.

"We have a panel of 32 and the few sessions we have ahead of the final will tell us a lot,” he stated.

Finnegan is well aware of the threat posed by the Royal County ladies.

“Any team that loses two finals will be driven to ensure it doesn’t happen a third time," he suggested.

"They have been very impressive throughout this championship since we came back.

"They are rattling up big scores and were very impressive in their semi-final win against a good Clare team.

"So they have impetus and they have motivation., they have a lot going for them, it’s going to be a really, really tough test for us.

"Meath have a lot of very powerful runners and they play a very set type of system relying on very athletic girls breaking from deep.

“The girls have worked very, very hard. It was a big disappointment dropping down last year from senior.

"It’s going to take a monumental effort, but if they put in the same effort that they have been doing for the last two weeks and we get a bit of luck - the hop of the ball here and there - I would be confident that we have a great opportunity of winning,” he concluded.