News round-up: Ian O'Riordan hears Luke Dempsey explain why the league isone-sided

Behind the current optimism within Westmeath as they contest one of this weekend's Division Two semi-finals there is an underlying fear that for counties in a similar position the National Football League has now become a sort of vicious circle.

Two years ago, Westmeath produced a ground-breaking run to earn a similar promotion, actually winning the Division Two title, and then enjoyed one of the best championship summers in many years.

Last year, they paid the price. Life in Division One A was too fast and too furious and, after a quick succession of defeats, the novelty of mixing it with the stronger counties soon wore off.

Deflated and disheartened, their championship form followed suit.

Manager Luke Dempsey is acutely aware that Westmeath's return to Division One A could be just as short lived, and he puts much of the blame on the shoulders of the GAA.

"To be honest, I'm really angered at the way the GAA handle the league," he says. "It just baffles me why they don't at least spread the top counties around a little more.

"For counties like Westmeath it's really frustrating. It's a total joke, except that it's so serious.

"Most of all, it's completely imbalanced in that Division One A is so much stronger that Division One B. There's no way they're equal, that's the bottom line. And it's very unfair on the counties like us that are trying to develop some sort of consistent progression."

A quick glance at the two top divisions confirms Dempsey's point. Next year, themselves and Limerick will join Tyrone, Armagh, Cork, Kerry, Galway and Dublin in One A. It's no coincidence that the four provincial champions are in that mix, and the other two - Tyrone and Kerry - represent the current league champions and beaten All-Ireland finalists.

Then there is Division One B. Having also secured promotion, Longford and Wexford now join Laois, Fermanagh, Cavan, Mayo, Meath and either Sligo or Down.

"If a county like Westmeath really wants to develop a stronger football tradition then it needs to have at least three or four years of progress," adds Dempsey.

"As things stand, there is a real danger of this becoming a vicious circle. And I think it would be awful if that circle is allowed to continue.

"It really angers me how they can have six of the premier football counties in one half of the same division. It's so important that the league is structured properly, especially for the counties for whom the league really matters.

"Ask Wexford and Limerick and Longford and I'm sure they'll say the same thing.

"Westmeath have a small panel of players, and are without anything like the strength and depth of those top counties.

"It would be like say Brentford winning Division Two of English football league and getting promoted to the Premiership. That's the sort of thing we're talking about here."

What happened over the last two years, says Dempsey, has forced Westmeath to re-set their goals. This past league season was all about promotion, and Sunday's semi-final against Longford is now a stepping-stone rather than a stop-off towards the championship.

"There is a big difference from two years ago. We put huge emphasis on the league in 2001 and the goal was to win something. And we did that by winning the Division Two title.

"But for this circle of the last three years to be any way successful then we have to come out this summer with a very real shot of winning the Leinster title.

"Of course, we're looking forward to this game on Sunday, but it's definitely a different situation from two years ago. So we'll continue to try out a couple more players and hopefully get ourselves in the best possible position for the championship."

Still, there is the fear in the back of his mind that all the hard work of the past year could be jeopardised.

"If say the championship doesn't work out for us, then we face into another league where we face the top counties on successive weekends. Even if some of those top counties lose, they can always mask it, and say the league is only a trial for them.

"I think what would be best for all of us would be the four-tier system. I mean it's staring us in the face. You have to establish yourself in your appropriate division.

"And, to be honest, I don't think we've quite earned the right yet to play with the top six or seven teams in the country."