Tomás Quinn: Tom Cribbin and Westmeath deserve credit

Sitting in the Hogan Stand two weeks ago watching John Heslin roll in the game-clinching goal, it was hard not to get drawn in by the pure joy and excitement the Westmeath squad and supporters were experiencing.

On the sideline, manager Tom Cribbin tried to remain calm but inside he must have been esctatic, especially given how crucial his half-time positional and tactical switches were in the turnaround to finally break their Meath hoodoo.

The majority of the Westmeath panel had re-emerged from their post-match showers to take their place in the stand just as the ball was being thrown in for the semi between Dublin and Kildare. You’d have to wonder if their joy was tempered slightly by the manner in which the Dubs had decided the contest inside the first 20 minutes.