DJ Carey | Eugene Cloonan | Martin Comerford | Brendan Cummins
Ronan Curran | Gar Farragher | James 'cha' Fitzpatrick | Paul Flynn
John Gardiner | Niall Gilligan | Damian Hayes | Conal Keaney | Eoin Kelly
Eoin Larkin | Fergus McMahon | Andrew Mitchell | Pat Mulcahy
Sean Óg Ó Hailpin | Ben O'Connor | Joe Rabbite | Dan Shanahan
Henry Shefflin | Tommy Walsh

In 2004, hurling in Westmeath reached a new level and star forward Andrew Mitchell believes there could be more to come. This year, for the first time, there was a real belief in the Westmeath camp that they could reach a Leinster semi-final. In the end, it wasn’t to be as they succumbed to Dublin in the quarter-final. But Westmeath ran them close for much of that game as Andrew knocked over a whopping nine points. He says the dramatic change in form is due to pure hard work: “I think we’ve become a bit more professional in our approach and did a lot more fitness work. We are lacking a bit of finishing power which showed in the Leinster quarter-final against Dublin but we’ll try again next year.” Andrew, who didn’t play his first competitive game of hurling until he was 14, believes Westmeath can build on the good work in 2004 and compete on a higher level next year.

How would you rate Westmeath’s season?
It was a good year for us, we were far better than any other year. Our aim is to reach a Leinster semi-final and we weren’t so far away from that this year.

What have been your greatest moments in sport?
Winning the county final with my club Clonkill in 2001.

Which is the toughest team you have ever faced?
Some of the Dublin matches can be tough. Leinster Championship games against Dublin are usually the toughest.

Who was your toughest ever marker?
Denis Byrne of Tipperary.

What advice would you give to young players coming through the ranks?
Keep on training and listen to the people above you, they have been there and done that so they can give the best advice.

How do you balance your job and hurling?
I’m a self-employed plumber. It’s not too bad, I work for myself so I can finish up some days early. The demands are getting tougher but it’s usually fine.

Which player do you admire the most?
Brian Whelehan of Offaly.

What are your hopes for the future?
To build on this year’s success, and to try and get past the likes of Dublin and reach a Leinster semi-final, or at least to start building towards that. If we keep going the way we are maybe we can do it. I’m also hoping that we can reach the Division 2 final in the league and try to get promotion.

What club do you play for?
I play for Clonkill. There are about four strong strong hurling sides in Westmeath - Castletown, Castlepollard, Collinstown and ourselves. There is always a good bit of rivalry between us.

© December 2004

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