Westmeath 3-20 Laois 1-10
Westmeath manager Jack Cooney says they achieved their primary target and kept their chances alive in this year’s Leinster championship with a huge win over Laois.
There was no room for error at an overcast O’Connor Park in Tullamore as three second half goals from Denis Corroon, David Lynch and Lorcan Daly dumped Laois out.
“It gets us back training on Tuesday night and that’s all we want really,” said Cooney.
Both of these sides had suffered relegation from Division 2 of the National Football League this year and it was an edgy first half where Mike Quirke’s men assumed a 1-8 to 0-10 lead at the interval.
Laois had won both of the previous championship meetings between these sides and Evan O’Carroll pushed them into a narrow advantage with his seventh minute goal.
But Westmeath fought hard to stay in the game and they held Laois scoreless after Colm Murphy’s point in the 45th minute.
At that stage Westmeath only held a 1-12 to 1-10 lead but they pushed for home and the second goal from Lynch, nine minutes later, killed off the Laois challenge.
“Both teams played nervy at the start because neither team had a win,” said Cooney.
“When you don’t have a win it’s always nervy so you are searching for that bit of form. But we finished the game well and I am just delighted we came through it.
“We were a bit flattered by the result.”
For Laois, this defeat was their fifth loss in a row in 2021 and their manager knew even the qualifiers wouldn’t rescue their ailing campaign.
“It is disappointing not to have a back door,” said Quirke.
“There could have been a bit more imagination with that but ultimately you are losing a game by 16 points and Westmeath weren’t a Dublin, they weren’t a Kerry.”
Westmeath: J Daly; B Sayeh, K McGuire, J Gonoud; J Dolan (0-1), R Wallace, S McCartan; S Duncan, D Corroon (1-1); R Connellan, R O'Toole (0-3), D Lynch (1-0); L Dolan (1-3, 1f), J Heslin (0-5, 3f), G Egan (0-5).
Subs: J Smith for Sayeh (half-time), F Ayorinde for Connellan (48), T McDaniel (0-1) for Heslin (61), D Giles (0-1) for Corroon (63), N Mulligan for Gonoud (65).
Laois: N Corbet; T Collins, G Dillon, S Lacey; P O'Sullivan, C Begley, D O'Reilly; K Lillis, J O'Loughlin; E O'Carroll (1-0), E Lowry (0-1), C Murphy (0-3, 1m); S Byrne, D Kingston (0-6, 5f), P Kingston.
Subs: M Barry for Murphy (49), F Crowley for O'Loughlin (54), M Timmons for Byrne (56), D Whelan for Lowry (57), R Munnelly for Kingston (57).
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).
