Westmeath v Cork: Ian O'Riordan on the injury problems facing Westmeath manager Luke Dempsey facing into an eagerly-awaited league tie this weekend

Ger Heavin and Dessie Dolan, two of Westmeath's most prolific forwards, will miss the opening Allianz Football League game against Cork on Sunday. They are part of an extensive injury list currently facing manager Luke Dempsey and he doesn't expect to see that list shorten any time soon.

The meeting with Cork is one of the most eagerly-awaited first-round games, not least because it is a repeat of the Division Two final last April when Westmeath took the title. Large support - and expectation - is also expected in Mullingar because of Westmeath's memorable run in last summer's championship.

Heavin is suffering from a swollen disc in his lower back, and is likely to be missing for at least another two to three weeks. Dolan had an operation last November for a broken bone in his ankle and he won't be ready for competitive football until March.

Also missing on Sunday is Martin Flanagan, who had operation on Monday for an ankle injury that is set to rule him out for a longer period. Missing too will be Joe Fallon, who is recovering from an appendix operation, and Paul Conway, who is still troubled by a shoulder injury.

All five of those forwards featured in Westmeath's final championship match last summer - the quarter-final replay with Meath in August. That was the last stop on their eight-game campaign that won them many admirers but ultimately no rewards.

"Well, we're definitely stuck for the first couple of weeks," admits Dempsey. "But we have known about these injuries for the last few weeks so it's not major news to us.

"Still, it is going to be a real test of the reserves of this team. We're going to be without a lot of our regular forwards until March. And for Sunday it will just about half the team that lined out against Meath last summer."

Westmeath's run through Division Two a year ago was a preview to their extended championship run. They were beaten only once (by Armagh) in seven league games, before upsetting Cork by a single point in the final. Heavin unveiled the heights of his talent on that run by scoring five goals and 30 points.

Dempsey expects Heavin to be one of the first to return to action, but Flanagan will be lucky to be back for the last couple of games. However, Dempsey can welcome back Fergal Wilson, who missed the end of the championship run with a broken arm, and he can also try out a good share of new faces.

Both corner forwards will get their first real test under Dempsey - Alan Mangan in the right corner and JP Casey in the left. There is also going to be a chance for Kenny McKinley at centre back.

Dempsey insists that the focus and ambitions going into the league haven't changed because of the injury crisis: "No, we're still going into these games with the same emphasis on getting the points. It is vital that we keep our Division One status and we've prepared as well as we could with the players we've got."

There was a final warm-up for Sunday's game, against Dublin last Thursday night under the Simonstown floodlights. Westmeath eventually lost by three points, but Dempsey was impressed with Mangan and Casey's five points between them.

Opponents Cork will be closer to full strength. Larry Tompkins secured the services of the Nemo Rangers players for the first couple of games before they concentrate on their All-Ireland club semi-final against Charlestown, refixed now for March 2nd.