Another rout as Dublin's Invincibles meet only token Westmeath resistance

Dublin 2-19 Westmeath 0-10: Same as it ever was, then. An 11th Leinster title in 12 seasons for Dublin, another lopsided scoreline and a renewed bout of hand-wringing as to what the rest of the province – and everyone else – can possibly do to reduce a gap that shows no sign of closing anytime soon.

For Westmeath, it is a second chastising provincial decider defeat to Gavin’s Invincibles inside 12 months. Last time, they trailed by four points at half-time and lost by 13. Yesterday, those figures stood respectively at just one and then 15. Closer and yet further away, all at the one time. How depressing.

And yet this was no like-for-like repeat. Westmeath tweaked their defensive system for the sequel. Full-back Francis Boyle played as a sweeper. So did Callum McCormack, though he wore 15 on his back. The other six defenders stuck to their men rather than predetermined zones and it all paid off for a while.