By Gavin Cawley
Connacht 2-17 Leinster 1-18
Sligo man Niall Murphy's 59th-minute goal kept alive Connacht's hopes of winning back-to-back interprovincial football championship titles for the first time since the 1950s as they edged Leinster at Parnell Park.
A youthful Connacht side started this semi-final well and raced into 0-5 to 0-1 lead as Danny Cummins and Jason Doherty were among the early scores for the westerners.
Westmeath’s John Heslin kept Leinster in touch with four first-half points, three of which came from frees, but a 21st-minute goal from Roscommon’s Ciaran Murtagh after a great team move got Connacht rocking again.
John McGrath put his side back to within three points but Connacht finished the half strongly to lead at the break, 1-10 to 0-7 .
Int the early stages of the second half, the sides exchanged frees through Heslin, who would finish with a total of 10 points, and Mayo’s Jason Doherty.
All-Star goalkeeper David Clarke then attempted a short kickout, which was intercepted. Niall Flynn was the quickest to the ball and he played in Kieran Martin for the easiest of finishes.
The Leinster men had their tails up now and scored three points on the bounce to go into the lead for the first time when Heslin kicked a fine score.
Connacht were under pressure but John Tobin’s men responded very well through points from Cummins and Murphy and the match was put to bed as a contest when Sligo’s Murphy finished the ball to the net from Cummins' handpass.
Graham Guilfoyle hit the bar in the closing stages but his side could only manage two consolation points through the Westmeath duo of Heslin and Paul Sharry.
Scorers - Leinster : J Heslin (0-10,8fs), K Martin (1-1), D Foley (0-1), J McGrath (0-1), J Byrne (0-1), D Byrne (0-1), P Sharry (0-1), S O’Rourke (0-1), J O’Loughlin (0-1)
Connacht: J Doherty (0-6,4fs), N Murphy(1-3), C Murtagh (1-1), D Cummins (0-3), N Daly (0-1), E Smith (0-1), F Cregg (0-1), D Comer (0-1)
Connacht: D Clarke (Mayo); K McDonnell (Sligo), N McInerney (Roscommon), D Wynne (Galway); N Daly (Roscommon), G O’Donnell (Galway), J Heaney (Galway); E Smith (Roscommon), K Higgins (Roscommon); F Cregg (Roscommon), C Murtagh (Roscommon), J Doherty (Mayo); N Murphy (Sligo), D Comer (Galway), D Cummins (Galway)
Subs: C O’Shea for E Smith (22), Sean Mullohy(22) for J Heaney, D Murtagh for N Murphy (26), E Mulligan for C Murtagh (ht), A Varley for D Comer (36), E Smith for C O’Shea (41), N Murphy for D Murtagh (43) J Heaney for N McInerney (50), D Wrynn for K Higgins (53), J McManus for D Wynne (53) C Murtagh for E Mulligan (55),
Leinster: A Mulhall (Offaly); D Daly (Dublin), K Meeney (Laois), P Ruth (Louth); J Dolan (Westmeath), J Small (Dublin), D Healy (Wicklow); J O’Loughlin (0-1) (Laois), D Foley(0-1) (Carlow); Paul Sharry(0-1) Westmeath, J McGrath (0-1) (Wicklow), K Martin (1-1) (Westmeath); N Dunne (Offaly), J Heslin(0-10,8fs) (Westmeath), N Flynn (Kildare)
Subs: D Kingston for N Dunne (ht), G Guilfoyle for J McGrath (ht), J Byrne for D Foley (ht), B Malone for P Ruth (ht), D Byrne for D Healy (ht), D St Ledger for K Meeney (ht), S O’Rourke for N Flynn(43), P Cunningham for K Martin (46), P Collum for A Mulhall (52), P Ruth for J Dolan (58)
Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan)
