Westmeath turn a corner

Westmeath 3-14 Limerick 0-7: Tom Cribbin wore the look of a man who just had his shoulders relieved of the heavy load which had sat there since the final Sunday in January. That was the afternoon Westmeath’s promotion plans were refused take off at Cusack Park with Kildare bagging maximum points behind enemy lines.

There followed defeats to Sligo and Clare, either side of a frustrating 0-11 to 1-8 stalemate with Tipperary.

Four rounds in and instead of looking up towards Division 2, Cribbin’s side, who had plied their trade in the top tier just two seasons ago, were looking at Division 4.