Michael Ryan’s All-Ireland champions Tipperary produced a flat display this afternoon as they saw off Westmeath by nine points to book a place in round 2 of the qualifiers.
Tipp were just three points clear – 1-12 to 0-12 – in the 53rd minute when goalkeeper Daragh Mooney kept out Cormac Boyle with a fine save.
A goal then would have levelled the game as gritty Westmeath threw everything at their much-vaunted opponents, but Tipp kicked on from there to lead by 11 points.
Allan Devine scored two injury-time points to keep the Westmeath losing margin to single figures – six days after the county’s footballers suffered a 31-point whipping against Dublin.
This was an excellent Westmeath performance in front of just 6,893 spectators in Thurles.
Tipp are in the hat for Monday morning’s round 2 qualifier draw but they’ll have to improve significantly to trouble superior opposition next weekend.
They registered 16 wides over the course of the game and also suffered a real blow when Niall O’Meara was stretchered off in the second half with an ankle injury, while ace marksman Seamus Callanan was subbed off.
Showing six changes from the that started the Munster quarter-final defeat by Cork, Tipp never got going and only a late goal from sub John McGrath added some gloss to the scoreline.
It was a performance to be proud of for Westmeath – six days after their footballers were hammered by Dublin.
Tipp led by just four points – 1-10 to 0-09 – at the end of a desperately poor first half.
John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer netted for the hosts in the 15th minute but it was one of the rare highlights of a dreadful opening period from the All-Ireland champions.
The game was 40 seconds old and Westmeath, playing with a first-half breeze, had a two-point lead, Killian Doyle and Niall O’Brien raising white flags.
Tipp took over from there and were nine points clear, 1-09 to 0-04, by the 19th minute.
They could have goaled as early as the third minute but Paddy Carroll saved well at his near post from Michael Breen before O’Dwyer found a way past him later in the half.
After moving into that big lead, the Premier County dozed off and went 18 minutes without a score, as Westmeath hit five on the spin.
That purple patch from the Lake County narrowed the gap to just three points – 0-09 to 1-09 – before Ronan Maher stopped the Tipp rot in the second minute of stoppage time, firing over the final score of the half from distance.
Westmeath refused to yield in the second half but while they did get to within three points – and Mooney was forced into action – the Lake County visibly tired in the closing quarter and Tipp were able to push for home.
Tipperary: D Mooney; J Barry, T Hamill, D Maher; Joe O’Dwyer, R Maher (0-01), Pádraic Maher; B Maher (0-01), N McGrath (0-02); D McCormack, Patrick Maher (0-01), M Breen; John O’Dwyer (1-03, 0-01f), S Callanan (0-05, 4f, 1 65), N O’Meara (0-02). Subs: J Forde (0-02) for Breen (44), J McGrath (1-01) for Callanan (45), A McCormack for O’Meara (60), S O’Brien for Patrick Maher (64), T Fox for Pádraic Maher (68).
Westmeath: P Carroll; S Power, T Doyle, G Greville; A Craig, P Greville (0-02, 1f), L Varley; A Clarke (0-01), R Greville (0-01); J Boyle, K Doyle (0-02), D McNicholas (0-01); A Devine (0-06, 4f), N Mitchell, N O’Brien (0-01). Subs: C Boyle (0-01) for J Boyle (21), B Murtagh for McNicholas (64), D Egerton for O’Brien (66), J Galvin for C Boyle (69), C Shaw for Varley (70+1).
Referee: Paud O’Dwyer (Carlow)
