Meath controversially beat Westmeath with late goal

Westmeath maintained that Meath's winning goal had been scored after the hooter.

Sun, 02 Mar, 2025 - 17:46

Gerry Buckley, TEG Cusack Park

AFL Division 2: Westmeath 1-17 (1-1-15) Meath 3-14 (3-2-10)

“It’s extremely difficult for referees and officials, and I said this after game one, but we felt the hooter had sounded before the ball hit the net. There was huge noise and it was hard for people to hear the hooter.”

So said Westmeath manager Dermot McCabe after a goal from Conor Duke with the very last kick of the game won the day for Meath against their neighbours in a pulsating game played in front of a very big crowd in Mullingar, the winners maintaining their drive for promotion while the losers – who shot 12 wides to their opponents’ four – remain pointless despite several close shaves in their campaign to date.

Meath had the aid of a useful wind in the first half, but it was the home team which started much the brighter and, with Luke Loughlin in top form in attack, they deservedly led 0-5 to 0-1 with 12 minutes elapsed.

Meath got a huge boost in the 13th minute when the referee brought a free kick forward by 50m and, in a flash, Jordan Morris fired a great shot to the roof of the net. Robbie Brennan’s charges added points from Eoghan Frayne (a free) and Duke, to take the lead for the first time (1-3 to 0-5).

Conor McCormack brilliantly saved a 32nd-minute penalty kick from Morris. With just seconds remaining on the countdown clock, a delivery from Morris was fielded by Adam O’Neill who turned and found the net. This left Meath ahead by a flattering five-point margin at the break (2-8 to 0-9).

Westmeath were wasteful from frees and open play and should have edged in front, but the sides were on level terms (2-10 to 0-16) at the end of the third quarter.

In this regard, McCabe opined: “A point would have been a huge help for us today. We probably had opportunities with long-range frees that we might have done better with, but we’re starting to do a lot of things right.”

However, veteran sub Kieran Martin pounced for a goal approaching the hour mark, after a two-point attempt from a free by Sam McCartan had come back off the upright.

In a rip-roaring finale, when a draw looked certain, sub Keith Curtis fed Duke just as the hooter was about to sound and he buried the ball in the Westmeath net to the delight of the huge Meath crowd present.

The winning manager was blunt in his assessment of his team after the game, stating: “We were so flat in the first half, it wouldn’t have mattered whether there was a hurricane or not. We just didn’t play well enough.”

Brennan also added in relation to the officiating: “We were being pinged for things we weren’t sure about around the midfield area, but I’ll do the old Premier League thing, so I’ll say nothing. Having said that, it’s extremely difficult for referees. All my sympathies are with them. At the very end, I didn’t see how much time was left, but when Dukey (Conor Duke) rattled the net, I was running up the sideline like Jose Mourinho!”

Scorers for Meath: C Duke, J Morris (1 2pt) 1-3 each, E Frayne 0-4 (2f), A O'Neill 1-0, J Flynn 0-3 (1 2pt), B Menton 0-1.

Westmeath: L Loughlin 0-6 (1 2ptf, 1 f), K Martin 1-0, R Forde 0-3 (2 f), M Whittaker 0-2, D McCartan, B Cooney, C Dillon, S McCartan, L Dolan, B Kelly 0-1 each.

MEATH: B Hogan; S Lavin, S Rafferty, D Keogan; B O’Halloran, A O’Neill, C Caulfield; J Flynn, B Menton; C Duke, J Kinlough, T O’Reilly; J Morris, S Walsh, E Frayne. Subs: C O’Sullivan for O’Reilly (25), S Coffey for O’Neill (47), A Lynch for Walsh (50), K Curtis for O’Sullivan (63), M Murphy for O’Halloran (inj., 70).

WESTMEATH: C McCormack; J Gonoud, J Geoghegan, C Dillon; J Moran, S McCartan, M Whittaker; R Connellan, F O’Hara; D McCartan, B Cooney, R Forde; L Dolan, L Loughlin, B Kelly. Subs: A Kilmartin for Cooney (temp, 26 – 30), K Martin for Kelly (52), R Wallace for Dolan (57), A Kilmartin for Cooney (65).

Referee: B Judge (Sligo).