Laois 1-20 Westmeath 1-17
Laois looked to be on the brink of elimination from the Leinster championship an hour into this clash as Westmeath led by six points in O’Moore Park.
But the hosts rallied thanks to a goal from Charles Dwyer and ran out 1-20 to 1-17 winners in what was an enjoyable contest.
Westmeath led by 0-10 to 0-6 after an error-ridden first half but Brendan Murtagh’s goal after just twenty seconds of the second gave them control of the tie.
Zane Keenan (0-10) found his range afterwards, however, while Stephen Maher also helped turn the tide with a strong cameo performance off the bench.
The rousing climax was in stark contrast to the nervousness that pervaded the early stages as both sides failed to take advantage of an immaculate surface and warm, dry conditions.
Five wides were shared before Zane Keenan opened the scoring with a sublime sideline cut. There were nineteen wide balls in total in the first half, with seven of the ten errant Laois strikes coming from Keenan’s stick.
They did not pay the price for these early failures however as they lorded the battle for primary possession, aided by a fiercely strong performance from their half back line, with wing-back Joe Campion particularly impressive.
The home side led 0-4 to 0-2 when Westmeath finally found a little bit of rhythm, inspired by a magnificent score under pressure from Alan Devine.
Six points in as many minutes followed for the Lake County. Two of those were outstanding strikes from midfielder Cormac Boyle.
And while Westmeath were also guilty of missing the target frequently, theirs were long range strikes from play or shots under pressure, rather than placed ball strikes or opportunities with time and space.
A 0-10 to 0-6 lead could have been slashed right down to a solitary point immediately before half-time. Ben Conroy collected a Matthew Whelan clearance and squeezed a handpass in between two defenders, into the path of Keenan. His shot was struck towards the roof of the net but Shane McGovern was equal to the task and deflected the strike clear, while Keenan missed the resultant 65 to leave Westmeath four up at the interval.
Murtagh showed great power to hold off Cahir Healy and blast the ball to the net from close range just twenty seconds after the restart. Laois replied well with three points in succession, but Westmeath powered ahead once again through two points in less than a minute from Derek McNicholas.
The introduction of Maher off the bench was to prove crucial as he added a focal point at the head of the Laois attack.
He leapt highest to claim a long ball and held off three tacklers before slipping the ball to Dwyer for the Laois goal – one of very few occasions when Westmeath full-back Tommy Doyle was beaten to a ball.
Dwyer’s strike was the key score in a twenty minute spell during which time Laois scored 1-7 and conceded a solitary point, coming from six down to lead by three.
Westmeath attempted to rally, but they were dealt three crucial blows. Full forward Murtagh, who looked the most likely man to get a goal all day, was injured in a collision and had to be withdrawn. He was joined on the sideline by Robbie Greville and Shane Power as they both saw red.
Greville was shown a straight red by Alan Kelly for a striking offence, while Power was dismissed for a second yellow card infringement and should be free to face Wexford in two weeks’ time.
As Laois top the group now by virtue of this head to head win, they advance to a Leinster quarter final meeting with Offaly. That match is also due to be played on the 7 June.
Westmeath: S McGovern; S Power, T Doyle, G Greville; A Craig, A Clarke, A McGrath; C Boyle (0-02), E Price; R Greville (0-03), D McNicholas (0-03), A Devine (0-02); N O’Brien (0-03, 0-02f), B Murtagh (1-02, 0-02 frees), D Clinton.
Subs: N Dowdall (0-01) for Clinton (HT), J Clarke for McGrath (45), J Boyle (0-01) for Devine (51), E Corrigan for Murtagh (58).
Laois: E Rowland; B Stapleton, C Healy, JA Delaney; J Fitzpatrick, M Whelan, J Campion; D Palmer, P Purcell (0-01); C Dwyer (1-03), Z Keenan (0-10, 0-07 frees, 0-01 sideline), W Hyland (0-01); B Conroy, T Fitzgerald, R King (0-03).
Subs: S Maher (0-01) for Conroy (43), P Whelan for Purcell (51), PJ Scully for Fitzgerald (58), D Peacock (0-01) for King (62).
Referee: Alan Kelly (Galway)
