One of his county’s most decorated footballers, Dolan was part of Jack Cooney’s management team when Westmeath captured the inaugural Tailteann Cup in 2022 – and then stepped into the hotseat after Cooney departed to fill a full-time role in Croke Park.
During his three-year involvement – one as selector and two as manager – the midlanders solidified their reputation as a well organised, hard-to-beat team, able to mix it with higher-ranked opposition.
In his retirement statement, Dolan pinpointed two “significant” highlights – that Tailteann Cup triumph against Cavan and this year’s Allianz League Division 3 final, when they outfoxed favourites Down to claim the title.
The 2004 All-Star and Leinster SFC winner also proclaimed that performances in the last two All-Ireland series provide “a lot of optimism” about the quality of players in the Lake County.
For all that, Westmeath’s SFC results graph across 2023-24 was decidedly mixed. Despite several eye-catching shows of defiance, he departs without a championship win on his watch.
Whoever takes the mantle will inherit a Division 2 side possessing a fighting chance of preserving their Sam Maguire status. It’s equally clear that, with several mainstays now in the veteran stage, a challenging team rebuild is looming. James Dolan, first cousin of the outgoing manager, has already retired; others may well follow.
Perhaps the most obvious quality Dolan’s Westmeath lacked with a prolific inside forward in his own image. They tallied just three goals in their eight SFC games over the past two seasons, losing seven times and drawing once – against Tyrone in last year’s round-robin finale.
On that occasion, John Heslin missed a last-gasp free that would have secured a famous victory, and also qualification for the knockout stages at the expense of the 2021 All-Ireland champions.
In many ways, that match summed up Westmeath’s close-but-no-cigar record against more vaunted rivals. In the same group last year, they looked poised to complete a spectacular winning raid on Armagh’s Athletic Grounds until conceding a slightly fortuitous late goal.
And this year, facing Galway in Mullingar, they were deadlocked at 0-10 apiece before a costly midfield turnover gifted a 67th minute breakaway goal for Shane Walsh.
In both seasons, Westmeath were drawn in a so-called Group of Death and yet held their own. They faced both eventual All-Ireland finalists this year, losing to Armagh by five points and Galway by four. They had a chance to keep their season alive against a vulnerable Derry, only to concede a goal late in each half and fall short by four.
For all their round-robin resistance, Dolan will bow out regretting their consecutive failures in Leinster. Last year they surrendered a half-time lead of eight points against Louth; last April they succumbed to an unfancied Wicklow, just eight days after the high of that Division 3 title.
DESSIE DOLAN STATEMENT
“I will not be seeking reappointment for the season 2024/2025 with Westmeath senior footballers. I have completed three years – one as a selector and two years as senior football manager. Being a part of the Tailteann Cup success and gaining promotion to Division 2 this year are two significant occasions for our footballers, which I was proud to be a part of. We as a management team worked extremely hard to maintain the highest of standards for our footballers, and I believe our performances in the All-Ireland series give a lot of optimism for the quality of players within the county.
“I would like to thank our sponsors during my years in charge – O’Brien’s Renault Garage, Mullingar, for their constant support of the players and management in every respect.
“A sincere thank you to the Westmeath GAA chairman Frank Mescall, secretary Brendan Shaw and PRO Marie Lynagh. I would also acknowledge the support of Patrick Doherty, operations manager. Liam Daly as team co-ordinator was simply the heartbeat of everything that we did, and worked tirelessly to ensure the players’ every need was met.
“I would like to thank my management team and all the backroom team that have been involved in the past two seasons – John Keane, Mick Dillon, Jason Sherlock and Cathal Mullin. I would particularly like to thank Joe and Katie Nangle S&C, Paddy Walsh and Mark Samuels and Tomás Mount who led the analysis team, ably assisted by Ashley Cahill. To Donie Malone for media obligations and goalkeeping coach Andy Meares.
“A particular word of thanks to the medical team led by Jerry O’Flynn for his constant support along with physios Vivien and Dermot Claffey.
“I always appreciated the great support from the Westmeath supporters. I hope we have given you some enjoyment and happy memories over the last three years.
“Finally, to the players, I greatly appreciated the dedication and time you sacrificed for the opportunity to play for Westmeath. I wish you all every success in your future endeavours.”
