Mayo's All-Ireland Win Sparks Hope for Westmeath
John Heslin watched Mayo finally lift Sam Maguire and felt something stir.
Not envy. Not resignation. Hope.
The Westmeath talisman, who returned from inter-county retirement to help script one of his county’s greatest seasons in 2026, believes Mayo’s long-awaited All-Ireland SFC triumph has blown the doors wide open for everyone else.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Inside Sport alongside Brendan Devenney and Ciarán Whelan, Heslin said Andy Moran’s side ending 75 years of hurt has changed the psychology of the chasing pack.
“It kind of gives every other county that hope and as a sportsperson you just want to have that hope and that chance. The hunger is still there for sure,” he said, the message as much for himself as anyone listening.
Mayo’s breakthrough, Westmeath’s belief
Mayo’s win will dominate the year’s storylines, and rightly so. Sam Maguire heading west after three-quarters of a century is the stuff of folklore.
But Heslin knows that 2026 will always carry a different resonance in Westmeath.
Under Mark McHugh, they claimed just the second Leinster title in the county’s history, stunning Dublin in a gripping provincial final at Croke Park in May. For a player who had spent 14 seasons watching the Dubs collect Leinster title after Leinster title, the significance was enormous.
“I would have been on record for saying previously that Dublin had won the Leinster Championship every year I had played football which was 14 seasons and I was just very lucky to come back and be part of that team,” he said.
He had retired from the inter-county scene and spent almost a year-and-a-half on the outside looking in. The itch never really left. When he did return, it felt surreal.
That sense of being half-fan, half-footballer still lingers.
His recall, he joked, felt like “they were just taking a fan from the crowd” after watching one particular game that changed everything.
The day in Tullamore that changed the mood
Asked to pick his match of the year, Heslin could easily have gone for the Leinster final classic against Dublin. The history, the personal redemption, the provincial silverware – it all fit.
Instead, he went back to Tullamore.
Westmeath 4-18 Meath 0-25. A quarter-final. A result that, on paper, looks wild. In reality, it was something deeper: a statement.
“We haven’t gotten over Meath too many times in the championship,” he admitted. Westmeath arrived in Tullamore as “severe underdogs” against a Meath side widely tipped as one of the favourites for Leinster.
What followed was the sort of performance that shifts how a county sees itself.
“The young lads for Westmeath that day were just unreal,” Heslin recalled. Shane Corcoran rifled in a wonder goal. Matty Whittaker also hit the net and his form across the season later earned him a place on The Sunday Game Team of the Year.
The scores flowed. The belief followed.
“It epitomised this year’s championship and particularly the way Mayo won,” Heslin said. A team refusing to bow to history, ignoring what they were supposed to be, and playing like something new.
That day in Tullamore, he felt it: “there was a sense on that day that this Westmeath team has something special in it.”
Still a player, still chasing
For all the reflection, Heslin is not done yet.
The 34-year-old confirmed he has no intention of stepping away again, at least not on his own terms. “(I’m) still a current Westmeath footballer anyway,” he smiled. “I was golfing with Mark McHugh a couple of weeks ago and he didn’t tell me to retire yet, so current for now.”
He laughs about it, but the competitive fire is obvious. Mayo’s breakthrough has only sharpened it.
He chose to park the Leinster final from his personal awards list “to give the lads the full credit they deserve,” preferring to view that Meath game as a supporter as much as a teammate.
“So that for me will live long in my memory as a Westmeath fan, but obviously now still as a player as well,” he said.
Mayo’s 75-year wait is over. Westmeath’s story is different, still unfolding. But if 2026 taught Heslin anything, it is this: hope is no longer a luxury for so-called smaller counties. It is a live possibility.
