Afternoon all.
On an action-packed Sunday of sport, the focus turns to GAA where four teams will become two in the Leinster senior football championship. Kildare and Westmeath meet in the curtain-raiser before Meath will attempt to end Dublin’s dominance in the province.
Here’s some pre-match reading for you:
Here are the teams that will likely start today.
We’re underway in Croker and it looks like we’re in for a pretty defensive game.
3 mins – Westmeath 0-1 Kildare 0-0
Paul Sharry slots over a nice effort off the left to give Westmeath the lead.
Kildare are struggling in the final third, where they are trying to force it too much.
Paul Sharry was a little unlucky not to receive a black card for a trip on Tommy Moolik there. Moments later Niall Kelly kicks Kildare’s first wide.
7 mins – Westmeath 0-2 Kildare 0-0
John Heslin’s free puts Westmeath two up. Kieran Martin has left the field, it appeared he’s broken his nose again. John Egan replaces him as a blood sub.
11 mins – Westmeath 0-2 Kildare 0-1
This definitely isn’t a game for the purists. Neil Flynn gets Kildare off the mark with a decent score. Kildare are growing into this game a little bit.
13 mins – Westmeath 0-3 Kildare 0-2
Heslin curls over a beautiful free from distance.
A few Dubs are trickling into the ground.
Ollie Lyons makes an incisive dart forward but his shot is off target. That’s Kildare’s third wide inside the first quarter. Their full-forwards need to improve their movement if they are to unlock this Westmeath defence.
17 mins – Westmeath 0-4 Kildare 0-2
John Heslin brought his shooting boots today. He kicks another free. Kildare need to stop conceding frees inside their own 45.
20 mins – Westmeath 0-5 Kildare 0-3
Sharry’s 45 puts Westmeath three in front. It’s been a perfect start for Tom Cribben’s men so far.
At the far end Emmet Bolton ghosts in behind Westmeath’s full-back line and curls over the bar.
21 mins – Westmeath 0-5 Kildare 0-4
Niall Kelly reduces the gap to a point after selling a nice dummy.
24 mins – Westmeath 0-6 Kildare 0-4
Wonderful score from a tight angle by Martin.
24 mins – Westmeath 0-6 Kildare 0-5
Bolton is justifying his late inclusion. He’s operating on the half-forward line and just kicked his second point. Nice intricate move by Kildare.
30 mins – Westmeath 0-6 Kildare 0-6
We’re level in Croker. Kildare wing-back Johnny Byrne finds the target on his second attempt.
34 mins – Westmeath 0-6 Kildare 0-7
Adam Tyrell lands over a fine point to put Kildare in front. They trailed by 0-5 to 0-2 but it looks like they’ve figured out how to play against this Westmeath set-up.
Half-time: Westmeath 0-6 Kildare 0-7
Now that Kildare have cut down on the fouling, will Westmeath get enough scores in the second-half to trouble the Lilywhites?
We’re back underway for the second half. Both teams are unchanged.
36 mins – Westmeath 0-6 Kildare 0-8
Neil Flynn injects a bit of pace into Kildare’s attack by driving at Westmeath. He wins a free and converts it himself.
At the far end David Hyland is doing a good job at marshaling John Heslin.
40 mins – Westmeath 0-6 Kildare 1-8
Moolick taps one into the back of the net for Kildare!
On second viewing it looks like Darren Quinn palmed the ball into the back of his own net. Moolick had no problem claiming it, though.
41 mins – Westmeath 0-7 Kildare 1-9
Eoghan O’Flaherty and Sharry trade scores. This game could drift away from Westmeath very quickly if they don’t inject more pace into their attacks.
46 mins – Westmeath 0-9 Kildare 1-9
Two points in-a-row for Westmeath. Switching John Heslin out to midfield has benefited Cribbin’s side. Sharry and Connellan with the scores.
48 mins – Westmeath 1-9 Kildare 1-9
GOAL! James Dolan levels the game!
Kildare’s intensity has really dropped in the last ten minutes.
54 mins – Westmeath 1-10 Kildare 1-9
Niall Kelly is black-carded. That’s a huge loss. Meanwhile Heslin floats over the free. Westmeath are back in front.
Chris Healy comes in for Niall Kelly.
57 mins – Westmeath 1-11 Kildare 1-9
Martin puts Westmeath two in front. Great score.
Kildare haven’t scored in over 16 minutes. They’ve been dour since half-time.
Kildare need to push up and take a chance here. Meanwhile Ray Connellan goes off injured for Westmeath.
64 mins – Westmeath 1-12 Kildare 1-9
Callum McCormack’s confident strike from distance puts Westmeath three in front with just over five minutes to go.
We’re into the final two minutes here. Kildare need to produce something if they are to save their Leinster championship.
Kildare have a goal disallowed for a Tommy Moolick foul on the Westmeath goalkeeper.
70 mins – Westmeath 1-12 Kildare 1-10
Neil Flynn curls over a free to make it a two point game. We’ll have four minutes of stoppage time.
Westmeath are playing keep-ball in midfield. Kildare need to push out on them, there’s no need for a sweeper at this stage.
73 mins – Westmeath 1-12 Kildare 1-11
Kildare win a free in front of goals. Kevin Maguire is black-carded for the foul. Flynn converts the free and we’ve a one-point game. Kildare have time for an equaliser…
Full-time: Westmeath 1-12 Kildare 1-11
Westmeath are into a second straight Leinster final for the first-time in their history.
Championship is where it counts. Despite successive relegations, Westmeath have made it to back-to-back Leinster finals under Tom Cribben.
Our focus turns to the main event in Croke Park, as Meath attempt to upset the odds against Dublin. Tipperary and Galway caused shocks in the championship in recent weeks, will that give Meath belief?
Here’s how the teams will line out:
1 min – Dublin 0-0 Meath 0-1
Graham Reilly gives Meath the lead. Good start by the Royals.
2 mins – Dublin 0-1 Meath 0-1
Bernard Brogan draws Dublin level. Meath are pushing up on Dublin’s kick-outs here early on.
A wonderful goal opportunity is spurned by Meath. A high ball into the full-forward line caused problems and Dalton McDonagh was a little unlucky not to win a penalty off of Stephen Cluxton.
4 mins – Dublin 0-1 Meath 0-2
Cillian O’Sullivan converts the free. Meath will be glad they got something from that attack.
Mickey Newman kicks Meath’s first wide. That was quite a distance out. Meanwhile Dean Rock kicks Dublin’s third wide. That was a poor miss.
9 mins – Dublin 0-1 Meath 0-3
Graham Reilly scores his second point after a fine Meath move up field. This has been an excellent start by Meath. Dublin are taking the wrong option in attack.
mins – Dublin 0-0 Meath 0-
11 mins – Dublin 0-2 Meath 0-3
Bernard Brogan wins the free and Rock converts it. That’s more like it from the Dubs. James McCarthy has switched with John Small and he picks up Graham Reilly. That should quieten him.
13 mins – Dublin 0-3 Meath 0-3
Rock’s second pointed free brings Dublin level.
14 mins – Dublin 0-4 Meath 0-3
Dublin show their patience and eventually Brian Fenton races forward and slots it over. Meath might find it hard to keep this intensity up.
17 mins – Dublin 0-4 Meath 0-4
A quality free off the ground from Newman draws Meath on par with Dublin again. The Royals have to be very happy with how they’ve started this game.
19 mins – Dublin 0-5 Meath 0-4
Kevin McManamon drives at goal and wins a free. Rock applies the finish from the placed ball.
21 mins – Dublin 0-7 Meath 0-4
Denis Bastick picks out Brogan with a delightful pass. Brogan fires over the bar. Dublin lead by three.
22 mins – Dublin 0-8 Meath 0-5
Newman (free) and Connolly trade scores.
24 mins – Dublin 0-8 Meath 0-6
Newman has been extremely accurate from frees. That brings his championship total to 5-49.
25 mins – Dublin 0-9 Meath 0-6
Connolly is a serious footballer. He strokes over his second point from the outside of the boot.
26 mins – Dublin 0-9 Meath 0-7
Eamon Wallace glides through the Dublin defence and pops over. From the next attack Brogan kicks Dublin’s fifth wide.
30 mins – Dublin 0-10 Meath 0-8
Cillian O’Sullivan clips one over for Meath.
Diarmuid Connolly reacted angrily to a challenge by Graham Reilly and floored him with a shoulder. He gets away without a card.
Half-time: Dublin 0-11 Meath 0-8
Paul Flynn kicks a fine score on the stroke of half-time. Meath have made a real game of this.
Meath have got their defensive match-ups spot on. They’re conceding the kick-outs and forcing Dublin to shoot from distance. Dublin are fouling too much for Jim Gavin’s liking in the first-half, allowing Mickey Newman to keep Meath in touch. You’d still fancy Dublin to pull away in the second-half, but it’s closer than most people anticipated.
Meath are unchanged at the interval. Denis Bastick has been replaced by Michael Darragh MacAuley.
40 mins – Dublin 0-12 Meath 0-8
Nice score by Dean Rock. He loops around and slots over right in front of the goals. Dublin’s forward play is far more cohesive than it was in the first-half.
42 mins – Dublin 0-12 Meath 0-8
Rock kicks his sixth point, this one from a free.
44 mins – Dublin 0-13 Meath 0-8
James McCarthy picks up a yellow for pulling Graham Reilly back. Newman misses the free from close range. Meath really needed that. That’s their third straight wide.
45 mins – Dublin 0-13 Meath 0-9
Newman makes up for that missed free by tapping one over from play.
48 mins – Dublin 0-15 Meath 0-9
Brogan restores the five point advantage. Moments later Rock splits the posts from another free.
49 mins – Dublin 0-16 Meath 0-9
Rock is giving an exhibition from dead balls. Is he a better free-taker than Barney was?
54 mins – Dublin 0-16 Meath 0-10
James McCarthy is already on a yellow and he receives a tick from the referee. Reilly reduces the gap to six. Meath could do with a goal to spark this into life.
56 mins – Dublin 0-17 Meath 0-10
Rock moves onto nine points and Dublin’s lead is seven.
Cillian O’Sullivan sends the free wide from close-range. That’s a disappointing miss from his point of view.
59 mins – Dublin 0-18 Meath 0-10
Fine score from Connolly. Dublin’s Eric Lowdnes comes in for John Small. Sean Tobin replaces Dalton McDonagh on the Meath team.
62 mins – Dublin 0-19 Meath 0-10
Rock brings his tally to double figures. He’s been faultless on frees. Mick Fitzsimons has come in for Cian O’Sullivan. Joey Wallace replaces Graham Reilly.
69 mins – Dublin 0-20 Meath 0-10
The worry for the rest of the country is that Dublin are only in second-gear here. Connolly’s fourth point puts the Dubs ahead by double-scores.
We’ll have five minutes of added time. Unfortunately.
73 mins – Dublin 0-21 Meath 0-11
Jonny Cooper and Ronan Jones swap scores. Still ten points in this. Meath have only scored three points in the second-half. Meath haven’t been good enough after the break.
Full-time: Dublin 0-21 Meath 0-11
Dublin will play Westmeath in the Leinster final for a second straight year.
That’s all we have for you today. Thanks for joining us.
