Páidí brings Caffrey to book as Westmeath fall to Dublin

Dublin 0-11 Westmeath 0-9

The hosts, who led by five points, almost allowed Westmeath to slip through for victory before Tomas Quinn and Declan Lally produced late, late points for the win.

It may not have been the prettiest to watch but judging from the altercation between Páidí Ó Sé and Paul Caffrey after the final whistle this particular rivalry seems to have the potential to simmer towards something memorable in the years ahead.

“I’ve been coming to this town for the last 30 years and no-one has laid a hand on me and no-one will either,” said a still-riled Ó Sé after exchanging heated views with his opposite number on the way off the pitch.

“I felt there was an un-sporting gesture carried out on the part of Dublin afterwards which isn’t true Dublin form, nothing I have experienced in 25 to 30 years.”

Caffrey waved away such claims, preferring to concentrate on what had gone on within the white lines. His side managed to let that 0-8 to 0-3 lead become a one-point deficit with six minutes to go yet the manager was focussing on the positives.

“It was a spirited performance, but I think that should be a basic requirement when a fella puts on a county jersey,” said Caffrey.

“Having led 8-3 it did look at one stage as though we might lose it when it went eight all. In fairness, the lads are after putting in a few good performances without getting anything for it points-wise so it was pleasing that they were able to dig it out the ugly way at the end.”

The win will have been all the sweeter for the home side as it was Westmeath who knocked them out of last year’s Leinster championship, a defeat that effectively branded Tommy Lyons as a dead man walking until Kerry fired the final bullet in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

It comes with some provisos though. For the second week in a row the men in blue chalked up 14 wides, again they showed a worrying tendency to come off the accelerator at crucial times.

Even still, the Leinster champions dragged themselves back from the brink to lead 0-9 to 0-8 with a point from wing-back Michael Ennis after 64 minutes. There may be more talented teams in Leinster but there’s none with a tougher core and they did enough here to suggest that they will be hard to drop in the race to the provincial title.

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; P Griffin, P Christie, S O’Shaughnessy; P Casey, B Cullen, P Andrews; C Whelan, S Ryan; D Lally (0-1), L Og O hEineachain, C Moran; M Vaughan, C Keaney (0-1), T Quinn (0-7, 6f). Subs: D Homan (0-1) for Whelan (yellow) 35+1, S Connell (0-1) for O hEineachain 35, J Sherlock for Vaughan 58.

WESTMEATH: G Connaughton; J Davitt, D O’Donoghue, J Keane; M Ennis (0-1), D Healy, D McDermott; R O’Connell, D O’Shaughnessy (0-1); P Mulvihill, M Flanagan, J Brennan; A Mangan, Denis Glennon (0-1), D Dolan (0-5f). SUBS: D Kilmartin for O’Donoghue (yellow) 25, J Fallon (0-1) for Mulvihill 25, D Mitchell for Flanagan 35, David Glennon for Mangan 57, D Heavin for McDermott 69, P Tormey for Brennan 72.

Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan).