Leinster SFC quarter-final replay/Interview with  Ger Heavin:Ger Heavin tells Seán Moran that optimism still runs high in Westmeath, despite recent setbacks

One face in the crowd at Croke Park last weekend probably felt the afternoon's tension more than most. Westmeath's top scorer over the three matches against Meath two years ago, Ger Heavin has been forced to retire from the game since those days.

Although the county just narrowly failed to beat their neighbours twice that year the season was a highpoint for Heavin. Nominated for an All Star that in a less competitive year he would have easily won, the corner forward from Moate would never start another championship match for his county.

A couple of appearances as a replacement last year were the prelude to disengagement from the intercounty scene, a decision forced on him by a worsening back condition.

"I got an annular tear. It's a muscle at the back and it affects the first disc. The fluid was seeping out through the tear and crystallising, causing pressure on the nerve and incredible pain."

So the pain of playing for Westmeath gave way to the agonies of watching them.

Whereas Dessie Dolan's failure to convert the simple free-kick that would have sent Meath spinning out of this year's Bank of Ireland Leinster football championship put most people's thoughts into rewind, Heavin saw it differently, believing there was an essential difference between last week and when the counties last drew in the All-Ireland quarter-final of 2001.

"I suppose it was similar in that it ended in a draw.

"But if you cast your mind back, the game was a reversal of the trend in 2001. This time we sat back and watched them play before launching a comeback. We should have won it like in 2001 but I was more encouraged coming away, happy that we might have learned enough.

"This time we weren't sure how their younger lads would perform or how their stronger lads were performing. I think our lads should be reasonably happy with what they've seen."

He is sympathetic to Dolan's plight in missing the crucial kick but not inclined to read anything further into the setback. Acknowledging that it must have been frustrating for his former team-mate, he nonetheless sees dependance on the player as the main problem.

"The first thing Dessie needs to do is play another game. Overall, what happened will make no difference to him. For 70, 72 minutes he was the best player on the pitch, man of the match, a dominant figure who'd scored 1-7. What happened shouldn't happen but does from time to time. Unfortunately this was one of the biggest days.

"The team needs to support him more. We can't be expecting him to shoot 1-7 every day he goes out. In fairness to JP Casey he played well but didn't score.

"You hear about fellas taking the wrong option at the right time but he took wrong options at the wrong time. But he was the one person winning ball up front besides Dessie.

"JP has been the best club forward in Westmeath, the biggest scoring threat in the county - including Dessie - but he hasn't always taken that form to county level. But knowing him he'll bounce back. I remember a Leinster under-21 final against Meath and JP scored three from play on a 0-7 to 0-6 scoreline."

He says that the mood in Westmeath has been upbeat despite the plentiful hints of déjà vu about the drawn match and the widespread perception that Meath have been let off the hook.

"I got a positive feeling afterwards. As the week goes on and I talk to more people at home I feel a sense of optimism. They've named the same team and while we didn't expect it to change, it was named very early and expresses confidence in the lads. Meath aren't the force they were and still rely a lot on the older heads.

"Graham Geraghty hadn't played football for a while and I think it showed. He found it hard to get to the pace of the game. Trevor (Giles) ended up at centrefield, which meant he was lost to the forwards.

"With a bit of support to Dessie I'd have a lot of optimism, realistic optimism. A lot of our fellas have been around a while and need to prove they can get the monkey off their back."

Time has moved on for Heavin. He now marvels at how he ever found the sort of time needed to sacrifice at the altar of intercounty involvement. Little by little his back has improved and three months ago he took the first steps back as a player.

"It's improved and although it's not perfect it's a lot better. I've been back playing with the club and everything has gone all right. I'm up to the pace in club football and able to play and not worry about how I'll be feeling the next day."

But any question about the resumption of a career that provided Westmeath with a balanced threat in the corners of attack is met with the sort of equivocation that sounds like finality.

"One of the problems is that I'm busy up here in Sligo. I cover all the northwest for Gallahers and my family are going to move up, which will root me here all the more. I'm 31 this year and maybe other things take priority now."