Despite a disappointing end to the season, it was a strong year for the Westmeath hurlers.
Under a new management team led by former Limerick player Joe Quaid, the county would secure promotion to Division 1A of the National Hurling League for 2020. They also reached the Joe McDonagh Cup final, where they would ultimately fall short against Laois.
While Quaid would no doubt have been hoping to go one better next year, he won't be given the opportunity.
It was announced by the Westmeath County Board on Wednesday that they would part ways with their manager, stating 'cultural differences' as the reasoning behind their decision.
It is something that took the Limerick man by surprise. Quaid told the Irish Daily Mirror that he is still unsure why they came to the decision.
I'm still trying to get my head around it.
I waited until they released a statement to see exactly why I have been released but having read it I am none the wiser still.
All I can say is that I got a call from a Westmeath county board representative at the start of the week and at the start of the call he said they had some issues and that he didn’t think they could be resolved. It became clear as the call went on that I wouldn’t be coming back.
I just couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. I was only in the job one season and brought the team to three finals in that time. We won two of those finals.
Sure, we lost the McDonagh Cup final to Laois, but they have since shown just how good they are.
Quaid asked the representative for the exact reasoning behind the decision, but it was not forthcoming. He seemed willing to discuss with Westmeath, but was not granted the opportunity.
He went on to imply that the 'winning mentality' he brought from Limerick may not have suited the team.
During the call I asked for a specific reason for my dismissal, but I didn’t get much clarity to be honest. ‘Cultural differences’ were mentioned. I have no idea what that means.
Is it because I - and many of my backroom - are from Limerick and have brought a winning mentality with us?
I asked for a meeting and a chance to talk to the board but that wasn’t forthcoming either.
