McHugh delighted that Westmeath lived up to their potential
Westmeath players and officials celebrate with the Delaney Cup after capturing the Leinster SFC title. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
By Paul Keane
Maybe he was channelling his inner Jim McGuinness but when Mark McHugh gathered the Westmeath players for the 2026 season, he talked to them about winning the Leinster title.
McGuinness memorably dared his Donegal players to dream when he first took charge of his native county for 2011 and with McHugh as one of his defensive linchpins, they went on to win the All-Ireland in 2012.
McHugh is quickly developing the reputation of a top county manager himself, having stepped up from Dermot McCabe's backroom team in 2025 to take the bainisteoir position for 2026.
Leading the county to just a second ever Leinster title places McHugh alongside Kerry great Páidí Ó Sé in the Lake County history books.
"From the first meeting we had, we envisaged Ronan Wallace walking up the steps of the Hogan Stand," said McHugh. "There's no point saying any different.
"When Dermot left last year, I spoke to a few of the players about maybe me taking the job. I wanted to get their thoughts on it. I knew what was in that dressing-room. I believed in it.
"The boys have been to Donegal, where I live. They know I wouldn't be travelling the three or four hours a night if I didn't believe in them.
"I wasn't going to come down to make up the numbers, or feel like I couldn't progress the thing. And I felt going into today's game, people wrote us off again.
"There were people saying, 'Ah it's a great fairytale story' and that it was this and it was that, but ultimately Dublin will win.
"And that's not the feeling we had in our dressing-room. We felt we were good enough to get to the final and to win it. I think we let our football do the talking there today and I don't think anybody will write us off as badly in the future.
"We're here to compete with anybody. We feel we have a dressing-room in there that's fit to compete with anybody in Ireland."
Westmeath manager Mark McHugh celebrates at the final hooter in Croke Park. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
It felt a lot like rolling back the years to 1997 when Mark's father, Martin, guided Cavan to a landmark provincial title.
"I did read somewhere during the week that I think this puts myself and Dad in some sort of category of winning Ulster titles as players and winning provincial provincial titles with other counties as managers," said the Kilcar man. "That's a nice feeling."
Another talking point ahead of the game was John Heslin's return from retirement for Westmeath. The former captain was held in reserve until late in the second half but showed up with three important points, including a sumptuous two-pointer off his left foot.
"John was playing unbelievably good club football, I think he kicked 2-9 one day and 3-11 another day, I don't know but would you not bring him in?" said McHugh. "I consulted with a few players, to see what they thought.
"We all felt we'd be better looking at him than looking for him. I think he showed his quality there when he kicked an unbelievable two-pointer and he caught ball around the middle. It wasn't just for today either. Don't get that wrong - we have two All-Ireland series games, at least, to play. We have another year hopefully next year as well, it's a longer term plan here for Westmeath.
"I wouldn't be taking him back for one game or anything like that. I think he showed today that he's still well fit for this level. His work commitments have changed and he's about more often. And when I asked him, he was so willing to play for Westmeath again."
Matthew Whittaker, who scored four points, opened up about the intense treatment he needed just to play following an ankle injury.
Matthew Whittaker of Westmeath. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
"A freak accident in training," said Whittaker, who scored four points. "I think some lads were saying during the week on podcasts that it was a dead calf. Well, I can tell you it's not just a dead calf. We've been driving up and down to oxygen chambers and all this craic, I think seven or eight times."
According to McHugh, Whittaker went to extremes to put himself in a position to play.
"I think there's a wee stream - not a magic stream! - beside the house, and over the course of two days, he was in it 13 times," said McHugh. "That's a man who really, really wants to play for the jersey."
Next up for Westmeath is an All-Ireland SFC Round 1 clash with Cavan. Dublin, meanwhile, will attempt to bounce back when they host Louth.
Stand-in manager Dean Rock confirmed that they lost Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne to a shoulder injury but said Con O'Callaghan, Lee Gannon, Colm Basquel and Eoin Murchan could all be available to face Louth.
On why Dublin lost to Westmeath, he agreed with the suggestion that they ran out of gas in extra time.
"I think we showed massive resolve and resilience at the end of normal time to dig in and get it to extra time," said Rock, deputising for suspended manager Ger Brennan.
"It wasn't looking likely after 63 or 64 minutes and to be fair to them, they did claw it back but we just never got to the pitch of it at the start of extra time.
"The very first attack, the ball goes out over the sideline and from there, Westmeath just ran us into the ground to be fair to them. They were certainly full value for their victory.
"I think the dirty stuff...they won a lot of the breaking ball, the kick out battle, the ground battle. I don't know the figures on it but it just seemed they were winning a little bit more breaking ball than us and were getting massive joy on the kick out side of it.
"Certainly there will be improvements needed from us there but ultimately there's lots of facets of the game that we'll look back on and be hugely disappointed with. But the lads just have to pick themselves up, as tough as it is because we have another game in two weeks. It's a new competition and let's see what that brings for them."
