St Loman's manager Luke Dempsey singled out "superb" forward Shane Dempsey for special praise after they regained the Westmeath senior football title for the first time in their history.
A six-point defeat of Tyrrellspass may have flattered Dempsey's men - it was a turgid battle at TEG Cusack Park - but it mattered little at the final whistle as the men in blue collapsed in celebration.
Dempsey felt in a game where no quarter was given, his namesake Shane provided the crucial spark of class.
“I thought Shane Dempsey had a superb day today, he was excellent," the boss told RTÉ Sport.
"He was in America for the early stages of the summer and came back in great form. In him we had the difference because there was an awful lot of 50-50s around the middle third.
"They missed a few easy chances and we got them at the other end."
He was in America for the early stages of the summer and came back in great form
In a contest punctuated by scrappy play and poor shooting, the quality and composure of Shane Dempsey sparkled.
However it was substitute Ciaran Kilmurray's 60th-minute goal that put the seal on the victory, and got the party started for St Loman's.
“The nature of the physical match-ups, players were kicking under pressure," Luke Dempsey said of an error-ridden first period.
"It was a really tense match but you could sense we both knew we were the two best teams in the county and that brings its own tensions and stress.
“There was a lot of tension in the legs, you could see it in he first half, we were second to most balls. We barely kept our heads above water in the second half and it was that goal by Ciaran Kilmurray who came on as a sub, allied to some brilliant points by Shane, that turned it in our favour."
