Michael Ryan is hopeful Westmeath can advance to the Leinster SHC knockout stages again in 2017.
Michael Ryan hopes that his Westmeath team are acquiring form at the right time of the year.
Despite a 'disappointing' start to their Allianz Hurling League Division 2A campaign, Westmeath finished strongly in the competition which encouraged Ryan.
The midlanders face Laois in an interesting Leinster SHC Round Robin opener at O'Moore Park on Sunday. Laois preserved Division 1B status following an absorbing encounter against Kerry.
“I saw Laois playing Kerry, it was a tremendous game of hurling," Ryan says. "They’ve played Division 1B all year so they’re a very formidable side. We don’t have a good record against them, but having said that, you always hope that you can produce your best on the day.
"We’ll concentrate on the performance, play as well as we possibly can to see where it takes us."
Ryan feels that Westmeath, who advanced from the group at this stage a year ago, are primed to make an impact. “We have practically everybody now, the strongest panel we’ve had all year," Ryan admits.
"Cormac Boyle is back from the football as well, our goalie broke his hand, he’s back, Niall O’Brien is back.
"We have practically a full squad but having said that, we’re still picking off a small pool of players.”
The former Waterford boss thinks Westmeath are in a 'very similar' position compared to 2016. “I’d say we’re very similar," is Ryan's assessment.
"We didn’t have a great League campaign, short four or five guys at the start of the League for a variety of reasons.
Westmeath hurling manager Michael Ryan.
"One guy went to the footballers, goalkeeper broke his hand, Niall O’Brien went away, he was in Thailand a couple of months’ holidays but they’re nearly all back now.
"I think we’re very similar to where we were last year, at the start of the championship. But it will probably be our first time this year that the entire team has played together. Until that happens, you don’t know where you are but our training has gone very well."
The Round Robin series is great for developing counties like Westmeath according to Ryan. “I think it’s a super system," Ryan remarks.
"It gives all four teams three championship matches and if you finish in the top two, you end up getting five championship games.
"We've had 10 championship games in the last two years and under any other system, we wouldn’t have had that."
Now Ryan wants to earn a place in the knockout stages of the provincial Championship. "We were disappointed with the League – we got off to a bad start in the League, down a few players, they’re all back now, but that’s no good to us.
"We got out of the round-robin for the last two years and that’s the target again. But it will be more difficult than ever this year.
"We have Laois and Kerry, I was at the relegation play-off, serious game of hurling. I think both counties are in a good place and I wouldn’t look past the first game against Laois.
"That’s a crunch game and if you don’t win that, you’re literally two points down going into the next game.
"We’ll concentrate on that, we have a poor record against Laois in recent times and down in Portlaoise, it’s going to be even more difficult. But if we do play to our potential, we’ll be very close."
