Westmeath played second fiddle throughout as Dublin romped to a comprehensive 27-point win in this Leinster SFC semi-final at Croke Park.
Read our live text on the match as it happened
Top scorer Bernard Brogan (2-08) and man-of-the-match Jason Sherlock helped Dublin to an early 0-08 to 0-00 lead.
John Connellan opened Westmeath’s account, but Dublin kept command with a Bernard Brogan goal ensuring a 1-14 to 0-04 interval lead.
Dubs boss Pat Gilroy unloaded his bench as the cakewalk continued with second half goals from Brogan, Darren Magee and substitute Tomas Quinn.
51,458 was the official attendance at Croke Park, but for the travelling contingent of Lake County followers, this was a day they will want to forget quickly as a horror show played out in front of them.
Westmeath were simply not at the races, paying the price for a sluggish start as the defending Leinster champions cantered clear on the scoreboard and had the result sewn up by half-time.
A new manager usually brings a fresh approach to any squad but Pat Gilroy opted for some 'old hands' on this occasion with Jason Sherlock returning with great effect.
Sherlock, the lone link with the capital’s last All-Ireland final winning team of 1995, put in a terrific display of surefooted scoring and excellent distribution, albeit with the Westmeath defenders giving him far too much room to manoeuvre in.
Sherlock kicked two of Dublin's opening six points, with his side quickly racing into a 0-08 to 0-00 lead after just ten minutes.
Westmeath looked leaden-footed even at this early stage and the shell-shocked midlanders struggled to cope with an exuberant Dublin attack.
Sherlock, the Brogan brothers and Conal Keaney showed their class in the opening minutes, with Westmeath having limited opportunities in attack.
Eventually Tomas O Flatharta's charges managed to break the deadlock, thanks to a point from NUIG student Connellan but his side would only score three further first half points.
Denis Glennon (free) and a brace from Conor Lynam provided the other Lake County points, but Dublin had managed to open up a 13-point gap by the interval.
1-14 to 0-04 read the scoreboard at half-time, and no doubt that some Westmeath supporters were tempted to head for the exit signs already.
The lone goal of the opening half arrived in the 27th minute, when Bernard Brogan intercepted a Westmeath clearance and the St Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Ruadh clubman raced through the middle to crash the ball past Westmeath goalkeeper Gary Connaughton.
The 11-minute spell following the half-time break was probably the most balanced of the game, with Dublin just holding a slight edge as they outscored Westmeath by 0-04 to 0-03 – but Westmeath were forced to fight harder for their scores.
The intensity of the game, rarely at Championship standard, dropped further as the Dubs mercilessly stretched their lead.
Four points over the remaining 24 minutes was all Westmeath could muster, just as a dominant Dublin went in search of goals.
In the 52nd minute Bernard Brogan fired home his and Dublin's second goal, just after a Keaney penalty had been saved by Connaughton.
Sherlock unlocked the Westmeath defence again with a precise pass and Keaney drew a foul from the hard-working Michael Ennis, however his place-kick was a poor one and Connaughton had a comfortable dive to his right.
But, just moments later, Westmeath were found wanting in defence as a lobbed ball in from the right saw Connaughton flap at it as it dropped and Bernard Brogan was perfectly placed to gather it and blast home to the empty net.
Connellan and Lynam kept Westmeath interested with some well-struck points, but goals from Darren Magee, following a neat interchange with substitutes Shane Ryan and Tomas Quinn, and Quinn himself sealed the issue and set up a Leinster final between Gilroy’s men and Kildare in a fortnight's time.
Gilroy and his selectors will have learned little from this outing and a tougher test would have been anticipated.
More talk of Dublin being serious All-Ireland contenders is inevitable after a result like this, but was it a case of the Dubs being so good or Westmeath being so bad? Perhaps things will become a bit clearer on final day on July 12.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; D Henry, D Bastick, R O’Carroll; P Griffin, G Brennan, B Cahill (0-01); R McConnell (0-01), D Magee (1-00); P Flynn (0-01), A Brogan (0-04), D Connolly (0-01); C Keaney (0-03, 0-01f), B Brogan (2-08, 0-05f), J Sherlock (0-06).
Subs used: P Burke for A Brogan (53 mins), T Quinn (1-01) for Keaney (55), B Cullen for Brennan (58), C Whelan for Magee, S Ryan for B Brogan (both 61).
WESTMEATH: G Connaughton; F Boyle, K Gavin, J Keane; M Ennis, D Heavin, D O’Donoghue; M Flanagan, D Duffy; F Wilson, J Smyth, D Harte; J Connellan (0-04), D Glennon (0-03, 0-03f), C Lynam (0-04).
Subs used: D Healy for Flanagan, D O’Shaugnessy for O’Donoghue (both 31 mins), D Dolan for Wilson (49), W Murtagh for Ennis (62).
Referee: Jimmy White (Donegal)
Scorers:
Dublin: B Brogan 2-08 (0-05f), J Sherlock 0-06, A Brogan 0-04, T Quinn 1-01, C Keaney 0-03 (0-01f), D Magee 1-00, B Cahill, R McConnell, P Flynn, D Connolly 0-01 each
Westmeath: C Lynam 0-05, D Glennon 0-03 (0-03f), J Connellan 0-02, D O’Shaughnessy 0-01
