Westmeath 3-20
Laois 1-10
Darragh Small reports from O’Connor Park, Tullamore
DENIS CORROON’S GOAL signalled the end as Westmeath cruised into the final four of the Leinster SFC following an emphatic win over Laois.
The Lake County came into this game on the back of a dreadful league campaign where they were relegated to Division 3.
But they secured their first win of 2021 despite trailing by 1-8 to 0-10 at half-time. Evan O’Carroll’s goal put Laois in the ascendency, John Heslin was the chief scoring threat for Westmeath and he kept them in touch.
Yet, Laois were completely out-played in the second half with their captain Kieran Lillis seeing red, during a treacherous spell where Corroon, David Lynch and Lorcan Dolan all found their net.
Laois scored first when Donie Kingston slotted a free and despite the miserable conditions Heslin quickly added a free of his own for Westmeath.
The next score was crucial, when Paul Kingston sprayed a speculative pass into space but O’Carroll evaded the challenge from Boidu Sayeh and finished low to Jason Daly’s left-hand corner in the seventh minute.
It was a brilliant start from Laois but Westmeath scored three of the next four points with Ger Egan on target twice from long range. When Ronan O’Toole scored on the run the sides were back level 1-2 to 0-5 in the 13th minute.
But Westmeath should have taken the lead moments later, James Dolan gifted Lorcan Dolan with the chance to score into an open goal, however he couldn’t find the target.
O’Toole’s second point put that right and Westmeath went in front on the quarter-of-an-hour mark. Egan’s third effort was sensational and Westmeath took a 0-7 to 1-2 advantage into the first water-break.
Two Donie Kingston frees later Laois were level before Heslin and Corroon cancelled those points out up the other end.
The play was frantic and end-to-end and predictably Laois got the next two scores, this time through Eoin Lowry and the brilliant Donie Kingston.
Jamie Gonoud was shown a black card for an off the ball incident and Donie Kingston punished that with another point from a Laois free.
Heslin struck over a sweet point from the tightest of angles to tie the scores approaching half-time but there was still time for Colm Murphy to give Laois the lead at the interval.
Heslin scored again after half-time and then the hammer blow arrived when Gonoud returned to provide some smart play in the build-up to Corroon’s goal. That goal made it 1-11 to 1-8 in Westmeath’s favour and a couple of Dolan points kept them in front.
Egan extended the gap to four and then another huge effort from the Tyrrellspass clubman meant Westmeath were 1-15 to 1-10 ahead at the final water-break.
Dolan’s pass set up Lynch for his goal in the 54th minute and the result was already beyond doubt by the time that Dolan fired to the net late on.
Lillis had already been shown red for his second bookable offence and they limped out of the championship.
Scorers for Westmeath: Lorcan Dolan 1-3 (0-1f), John Heslin 0-5 (0-3f), Ger Egan 0-5, Denis Corroon 1-1, David Lynch 1-0, Ronan O’Toole 0-3, James Dolan, Tommy McDaniel and Darren Giles 0-1.
Scorers for Laois: Donie Kingston 0-6 (0-5f), Evan O’Carroll 1-0, Colm Murphy 0-3 (0-1m), Eoin Lowry 0-1.
Westmeath
1. Jason Daly (St Loman’s Mullingar)
4. Boidu Sayeh (Rosemount)
3. Kevin McGuire (Caulry)
7. Jamie Gonoud (Tyrrellspass)
5. James Dolan (Garrycastle)
6. Ronan Wallace (Multyfarnham)
18. Sam McCartan (St Loman’s Mullingar)
9. Sam Duncan (Milltownpass)
10. Denis Corroon (Mullingar),
8. Ray Connellan (Athlone)
15. Ronan O’Toole (Mullingar)
12. David Lynch (St Malachy’s)
13. Lorcan Dolan (Castledaly)
14. John Heslin (St Loman’s Mullingar)
11. Ger Egan (Tyrrellspass).
Subs:
2. Jack Smith (Skerries Harps) for Sayeh (ht)
21. Fola Ayorinde (St Loman’s Mullingar) for Connellan (48)
17. Tommy McDaniel (Castleknock) for Heslin (61)
19. Darren Giles (Coralstown/Kinnegad) for Corroon (63)
22. Noel Mulligan (Athlone) for Gonoud (65).
Laois
1. Niall Corbet (Clonaslee St Manaman’s)
2. Trevor Collins (Graiguecullen)
4. Gareth Dillon (Portlaoise)
3. Seamus Lacey (Ballylinan)
7. Patrick O’Sullivan (Portarlington)
6. Colm Begley (Stradbally)
5. Daniel O’Reilly (Graiguecullen)
8. Kieran Lillis (Portlaoise)
9. John O’Loughlin (Rosenallis)
11. Evan O’Carroll (Crettyard)
12. Eoin Lowry (Killeshin)
15. Colm Murphy (Portarlington)
10. Sean Byrne (Portarlington)
14. Donal Kingston (Arles-Killeen)
13. Paul Kingston (Arles-Killeen)
Subs:
16. Matthew Byron (Courtwood) for Murphy (49)
23. Finbarr Crowley (Emo) for O’Loughlin (54)
17. Mark Timmons (Graiguecullen) for Byrne (56)
20. Ross Munnelly (Arles/Kilcruise) for Kingston (57)
25. Diarmuid Whelan (Ballyroan Abbey) for Lowry (57)
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).
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