Westmeath along with Kildare were relegated to Division Three of the Allianz League on Sunday. It followed a 2-13 to 0-12 loss to Roscommon in Mullingar.
Afterwards, while speaking to Midlands 103, manager Tom Cribbin was extremely honest in his assessment of the performance. In particular he cited lack of effort from "big players" as a reason for the loss. He went on to say that many of these "main lads" may have to be jettisoned as the team moves forward.
There's a few big players just not performing for us, I don't know why or what's wrong. You need your big players to perform if you're going to deliver.
When you're looking at it and you're seeing the likes of young Killian Daly probably one of your best players, just a young lad into the game. You're expecting poor young Shane Dempsey in his first year to come on and win matches for you, when you've senior players... that's just not fuckin' not on, excuse my language. This is just not going to happen.
These big players are not standing up. I don't know why or what's going on with them but it's the main lads. You saw the other lads that work like, they put everything on the line the smaller lads there, lads that are general average players. They gave it everything but the few big lads who should be standing out and leading, fuckin' lay down and that's the trouble with this team. It's lads who should be leading, chest out and showing these young lads where to go, they're the ones that's killin' this team.
There's hard questions to be answered and asked in the next week or two. We might have to go on without a clatter of these players and just start working on these young lads for the future.
The sentiment that some players might have to be let go for the good of the team is one which he repeated throughout the interview.
Cribbin was appointed for a three-year term late last year.
You can listen to the full post-match audio via Midlands Sport below.
Picture credit: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE
