Jubilant Westmeath into Leinster final and Sam Maguire after extra-time drama
Eoghan McCabe of Westmeath celebrates after his side's victory in the Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final match between Kildare and Westmeath at Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore, Offaly. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
A day of celebration by the Lakes and mourning in the Mournes, thanks to Brandon Kelly’s extra-time goal in Tullamore.
Westmeath will contest a sixth ever Leinster final in a fortnight’s time while Down’s presence will now cast a long shadow over the Tailteann Cup as a consequence of this result.
Kildare’s win in that competition last year means that they will compete in Sam Maguire football, though their rampant inaccuracy in this fixture and their inability to finish off a punch-drunk Westmeath side means that they will be rank outsiders in the Sam Maguire race.
The absence of Luke Loughlin from the Westmeath starting team was one heavy blow, and while there was joy among the Westmeath-dominated crowd of 12,086 when Matthew Whittaker was confirmed to start despite rumours of his failure to recover from an injury, the flying wing back was withdrawn after 15 minutes.
Mark McHugh’s panel isn’t one of the deeper ones in the country, and despite heroic efforts from Sam McCartan, Tadhg Baker and man of the match Kelly, they were out on their feet in the latter stages of the game. Kildare’s dire shooting in the second half was the only reason that Shane Allen was able to kick Westmeath back into the lead after 68 minutes, but even then, Alex Beirne’s equaliser with ten seconds to play meant Kildare sprinted off the pitch with a spring in their step, all while Westmeath seemed to suck in all the oxygen they could.
But the break of the ball is no respecter of likelihoods and probabilities, and for the play that mattered most, it went Westmeath’s way.
Brían Cooney’s sensational first half goal from a narrow angle at the Park Avenue end of O’Connor Park was the score of the game in regulation time, and he tried to repeat the shot from a similar position towards the end of the first half of extra time.
Cian Burke parried Cooney’s shot on this occasion, but the ball floated up and fell perfectly for Brandon Kelly to punch the ball towards goal, where it rolled a couple of inches inside the post, barely nestling in the side of the net.
Kildare threw everything they had into the second half of extra-time but with the pressure on, they could only muster up a single point in the final ten minutes and at the other end they were caught out with breakaway scores from Eoghan McCabe and Kelly.
By any measure, this will go down as one that the Lily Whites left behind. Both sides shot 13 wides this afternoon, but Kildare had the much larger share of egregious misses, and they also had their own goal chances that went unconverted.
Jason Daly’s full-length diving save to deny Eoin Cully was a vital intervention at a time when Westmeath were treading water trying to stay afloat midway through the first half, and not long after Daniel Scahill got in the way of a Darragh Kirwan shot from 10 metres out.
Cully and Ben Loakman still thrived in those early exchanges as Kildare worked the ball cleverly to create high percentage chances that pushed them 0-7 to 0-3 in front. Just as it was in last year’s quarter-final meeting between the two sides in St. Conleth’s Park, the battle between Ray Connellan and Kevin Feely at midfield was crucial, with Feely claiming three kickouts in the opening ten minutes.
Kevin O’Sullivan and Senan Baker kicked points 30 seconds apart to shift the game’s momentum, and after Cooney twisted and turned past Tommy Gill before slamming the ball to the roof of the net, the Lake County were four up.
Darragh Swords ended Kildare’s 14-minute scoring drought with a sublime double as Kildare cut the lead to one by half-time, drawing level through Cully’s score on the run immediately after the restart.
There was no separating the sides in a tense third quarter where the teams went score for score for the majority – that was until Sam McCartan hoisted over a fine two-point free.
Kildare looked to have much more energy in their legs in that final quarter with the absence of Matthew Whittaker and Luke Loughlin telling a tale, though some appalling finishing meant that it was only in the 67th minute that they drew level through Darragh Kirwan.
Shane Allen gave Westmeath one more lead with a 35 metre effort but after winning a free on the right wing with 60 seconds left, Westmeath opted to float the ball into the penalty area, where Kildare won the ball, cleared their lines and set up Alex Beirne for the equaliser with ten seconds left.
Kildare ran off the pitch with a spring in their step while Westmeath gasped for air and the first score after the restart, a majestic finish from Kirwan, backed up the impression that Kildare had more in the tank.
Not quite, as Westmeath found just about enough. Kevin O’Sullivan and Shane Corcoran came back on to give them some dynamism, Ronan Wallace – who had been much quieter than usual – surged forward to kick a point on the run, and Brandon Kelly’s nudge to the net set up a rematch with Dublin, with aftershocks felt all the way up to the Mourne mountains.
Brandon Kelly 1-4, Sam McCartan 0-5 (2tpf), Brían Cooney 1-0, Ray Connellan 0-2 (0-1f), Senan Baker 0-2, Shane Corcoran 0-1, Kevin O’Sullivan 0-1, Tadhg Baker 0-1, Shane Allen 0-1, Ronan Wallace 0-1, Charlie Drumm 0-1, Robbie Forde 0-1, Eoghan McCabe 0-1
Eoin Cully 0-4, Darragh Kirwan 0-4, Ben Loakman 0-3, Alex Beirne 0-3 (1tpf), Darragh Swords 0-2 (tp), Jack Robinson 0-2, Tommy Gill 0-1, Kevin Feely 0-1, Callum Bolton 0-1, Brian McLoughlin 0-1f, Colm Moran 0-1
Jason Daly; Daniel Scahill, Charlie Drumm, Conor Dillon; Matthew Whittaker, Shane Allen, Sam McCartan; Brían Cooney, Ray Connellan; Kevin O'Sullivan, Ronan Wallace; Tadhg Baker; Brandon Kelly, Senan Baker, Shane Corcoran.
Shane Ormsby for Whittaker (15), Robbie Forde for O’Sullivan (51), Danny McCartan for S Baker (55), Ian Martin for Corcoran (60), Eoghan McCabe for Allen (69), O’Sullivan for McCabe (FT), Corcoran for Martin (FT), Adam Treanor for Dillon (FT), Whittaker for S McCartan (77), Jack Duncan for T Baker (83), McCabe for Ormsby (88).
Cian Burke; Ryan Burke, Mark Dempsey, Harry O'Neill; Brian Byrne, Eoin Lawlor, James McGrath; Kevin Feely, Brendan Gibbons; Callum Bolton, Darragh Kirwan, Tommy Gill; Ben Loakman, Darragh Swords, Eoin Cully.
Ben McCormack for O’Neill (half-time), Alex Beirne for Loakman (45), Brian McLoughlin for Swords (51), Jack Robinson for Bolton (59), Colm Moran for McGrath (66), Pádraic Spillane for Gill (FT), Colm Dalton for R Burke (76), James Harris for Lawlor (79), Loakman for McCormack (86).
Martin McNally (Monaghan)
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