Luke Loughlin is among eight dual players balancing action for the Downs and Clonkill.
The closest they came to a Westmeath championship double was in 2022 when Castletown-Geoghegan denied Clonkill in the hurling final before the Downs won the football the following week.
Both teams are on track for the knock-outs this year having made positive starts to their respective championships.
The Clonkill hurlers produced a shock a fortnight ago beating reigning champs Raharney in a high scoring thriller and while the Downs surprisingly lost to Mullingar Shamrocks last weekend, they had won three out of three group stage games up to that.
The Downs and Clonkill are sister clubs so to speak and Loughlin hails managers Johnny Murray (The Downs) and Mickey Dan Murtagh for facilitating their dual players.
They obviously have different priorities but according to Loughlin they manage it well.
19 November 2022; Luke Loughlin of The Downs celebrates after his team mate, Ciarán Nolan, had score the first goal during the AIB Leinster GAA Football Senior Club Championship Semi-Final match between The Downs and Ratoath at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
“There’s a good relationship between the clubs,” he says.
“On the hurling week, we go over to Clonkill on the Tuesday, the Downs on a Wednesday and Clonkill on the Thursday, taking the Friday off.
“On the football week, we go to the Downs twice as well, and usually once to Clonkill.
“The two clubs are always in contact, and that’s the only way it could work, to be honest.”
Frankie McGrath managed both teams when Loughmore-Castleiney won the double in Tipperary in 2021.
Naas did the double last year with different managers, albeit with only three dual players. Slaughtneil and Cratloe have also won on both fronts under separate managers, and Loughlin would love to do something similar.
“It’s definitely doable. You just need every rub of the green. Even the way games fall and with injuries.”
“I wouldn’t be able to pick hurling or football,” the 29-year-old says.
“I just wouldn’t have a preference, especially at club level.
“I was leaning towards picking one this year with injuries and stuff, but the body is after coming right for me and it’s just hard to not go over and play, because you love it so much.
“Especially when you’ve games all the time, that’s what you want. They compliment each other."
Andrew Shaw, Niall Mitchell, Darragh Egerton, Ciaran Nolan, Oisin Loughlin, Oisin Murray, and Liam Moran are his dual colleagues and he says they love the freshness it brings.
“With the county there, you can get caught in a rut the odd time if things aren’t going well.
6 November 2018; Luke Loughlin of Clonkill in action against David O'Connor of Ballyboden St Enda's during the AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship quarter-final match between Ballyboden St Endas and Clonkill at Parnell Park, in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
“But with the club, when you’ve a bad day with the football, you can go over to Clonkill and get on with something different. It’s a change of scenery, something different, different people.
“We’d be underdogs with Clonkill, with numbers alone, we’re not blessed. But everyone rows in. That win (over Raharney) was a bit of a shock there recently.”
Podge Collins was one of the last inter-county dual players, balancing codes for Clare in 2016, while more recently, Tailteann Cup winner Conor McCrickard flirted with dual commitments for Down last year.
Loughlin says he would love to give it a go for Westmeath next year, though admits it’s ‘unlikely at this stage.’
“This year especially, a lot of people are saying to me ‘would I give it a go?’ I’m going to be thirty next year so if I was ever going to try, it would be next year.
“But it all depends on management. I would love to try it. 100%.”
It’s all change on the management front in Westmeath with Davy Fitzgerald’s former right hand man Seoirse Bulfin the new hurling boss while the footballers await a replacement for the departed Dessie Dolan, with Jason Sherlock among the favourites.
“You don’t want to be upsetting people, do you know, ‘this lad’s coming when he wants,’ that kind of thing," says Loughlin.
“I listened to a Podge Collins podcast there recently and he talked about missing some video analysis sessions, and unfortunately, while that stuff can be tedious, it has to be done.
“If you’re missing that, you’re not helping yourself,” he said.
“But look, if your body is able. If the two managers would be willing and if the team were on board with it, it could work.”
Corner forward Loughlin feels the Westmeath footballers have solid foundations to build on having won Division Three last year, but he says they need to rise their scoring rates if they want to reach the next level.
“We’re in Division Two.
“We were competitive in the group games even against the two All-Ireland finalists Galway and Armagh.
“The next stage for us now, in-game, is scoring more. Armagh and Galway can get to eighteen, nineteen, twenty, that’s what you need to win a game."
“You’re not going to win a whole lot with nine or ten.
“A new manager I suppose, it always brings a clean slate and freshens things up a small bit. There is a good foundation there for a team. But look I wouldn’t think too much about it now when you’re so busy with the club.”
He’s all in for Clonkill and The Downs for now.
