Tailteann Cup Group 3; Westmeath v Antrim 

(Mullingar, Sunday, 2pm, Live on GAA+)

A GOOD start to the Tailteann Cup is of great importance for Antrim as they begin their Group 3 campaign with a trip to face Westmeath in Mullingar on Sunday.

Andy McEntee’s men find themselves in a different scenario this year as their relegation from Division Three in the league saw them drop to third seeds for the competition, having been in pot two for the previous years. But the draw was relatively kind with a home game against second-seeded Limerick to follow and a meeting with London on neutral turf to conclude their group schedule. 

They topped their group in 2023 and just missed out on the same last year by way of scoring difference, so while the form book says they will not be competing for that number one place and a direct route into the last eight which brings a home quarter-final, there is ambition to turn those forecasts on their head.

To do so, a good start against Westmeath this weekend is crucial and the Saffrons will not need much by way of motivation as their last trip to Cusack Park resulted in a 31-point hiding during the 2023 League.

The gap was significantly less when they met last year, but the same outcome as the Lake County went on to win promotion to Division Two.

They dropped straight back down to the third tier for next year, but of course, Antrim suffered relegation of their own as they failed to beat the drop from Division Three.

Both teams fell in their provincial championship opener with Antim putting up a gutsy performance against Armagh before falling to the All-Ireland champions, while Westmeath were edged out by Kildare.

The Leinster County won the inaugural Tailteann Cup in 2022 and will be determined to grab the silverware once again, but Antrim have their own ambitions, according to attacker, Dominic McEnhill.

“Westmeath are a good side,” the Rossa man acknowledged.

“I saw them against Kildare and they put it up to them. They have the experience of playing in Division Two where the standard is higher than what we’re used to. 

“We put it up to Armagh, so it’s just about carrying forward that momentum. 

“We went down to Westmeath a few years ago and they taught us a bit of a lesson, so we want to right that wrong and give ourselves every chance.

“Over the past two years, we’ve got to the semi-finals of the Tailteann Cup and this year we want to go one step further.”

The 11-point defeat to Armagh made a mockery of Antrim’s League form as too many narrow misses saw them suffer relegation.

But they showed more of themselves against the All-Ireland champions and although the Orchard’s pedigree shone through, there was a bar set for the level of performance going forward.

“You are playing the best team in Ireland and we matched them for 50 minutes before their Division One status started to show,” McEnhill agreed.

“Now, we have to focus on making sure we put in a 70-minute performance and see where that takes us.”

That ought to take them into a place where they will feel they can make real headway in the Tailteann Cup.

In 2023, they fell to eventual winners, Meath, in the semi-final, while last year, they again came up short on semi-final day at Croke Park, with Laois outlasting them in the second period.

Perhaps their second-place finish in the group last year, which meant they had the additional game in the preliminary quarter-final stage told, so the importance of getting off to a good start is not lost on Antrim and they will aim to do just that this week.

“Our aim is to top the group and get the home advantage for a quarter-final, meaning you have one game less as you avoid the prelim quarter-finals,” McEnhill outlined.

“The extra game last year may have had an impact on how we played at Croke Park against Laois in the semi-final, so it’s important to start well against Westmeath.”