Heading into the All-Ireland round robin series, very few people gave Westmeath any chance of making much noise in the competition.
Having finished fourth in Division 3 in their league campaign before giving up an eight-point advantage to lose against Louth in the Leinster championship this season, they would be drawn in a group of death alongside Galway, Armagh, and Tyrone.
The midland county qualified for the Sam Maguire via their Tailteann Cup win in 2022, although many felt that they were like a lamb being put to slaughter in the top tier this year.
That certainly wasn't the case.
Westmeath were very unfortunate not to beat Armagh in their group opener, being undone by a lucky late goal. They were also well in the game against Galway until they were reduced to 14 men midway through the second half.
This afternoon against Tyrone, they were arguably the better team and really should have won the game. Having been three points down with a couple of minutes to go, they would get back on level terms in injury time.
John Heslin then had a chance to put them ahead with the last kick of the game, a result that would have sent them through to the preliminary quarter-finals and eliminated Tyrone. Unfortunately for Dessie Dolan's side, it drifted just wide.
Perfect view of Heslin's late free, looks to just have gone outside the post alright. pic.twitter.com/TGQFS7mc57
— Cahair O'Kane (@CahairOKane1) June 18, 2023
The game would finish 0-18 to 0-18.
Coupled with Armagh's victory over Galway, this meant that Tyrone went through in third place and Westmeath were eliminated.
Dolan explains why Westmeath proved Tailteann Cup critics wrong
Westmeath can be proud of their efforts in this championship, coming within inches of securing an unlikely place in the preliminary quarter-finals.
They certainly were not the cannon fodder that some predicted they would be, something Dessie Dolan was keen to stress.
Speaking on GAAGO, the Westmeath manager said that his team proved the value of the Tailteann Cup with their performances this year.
I think the lads, in terms of performance, were incredible. They showed great spirit.
We didn't get much luck this year and it has come against us again here. We just needed that ball to be a couple of inches inside the post and we would have went through. It's disappointing.
I'm really proud of the lads. A lot of people w👏ere saying we shouldn't be here as Tailteann Cup winners, that we don't deserve it.
I think that's rubbish, you can see yourself what it means to the lads. It's a prize for the lower teams to get up and have a crack at it.
When we saw the draw, it was the group of death, it was Armagh, Galway, and Tyrone. If anyone was looking at the games, they would say we put in massive performances and were unlucky at the end of the day...
Do you know what, it would be nice if the lads were acknowledged with nominations for All-Stars or different things. They should be looking at that when you're down in Division 3 and 4.
Westmeath will be hoping to make further strides in the years ahead, starting with securing promotion to Division 2 next season. Looking at the today, they certainly have the quality to compete with some of the top teams in the country on their day.
That all started with the Tailteann Cup win last year. It is certainly a reminder of the value of that competition.
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