Leinster SFC Kildare 0-14, Westmeath 0-11: Well, that was short and for the most part sweet.
Westmeath's novel reign as provincial champions ended yesterday when they were dunted back into the junkyard of Leinster football by a Kildare side who have been riding their good fortune since the summer started.
What does it mean big-picturewise? Not a lot. Football in the province is either in a state of recession or in a state of constant and welcome flux; it depends on who you listen to. Certainly, yesterday didn't promise much and that it delivered a small coup was welcome, especially given the quality of much of the football.
A consequence of this bristlingly democratic era has been the surrender of pizzazz. Westmeath and Kildare, despite being reigning and recent champions, hardly added up to an afternoon of 1,000 stars and there were just 35,485 in Croke Park yesterday.
In fairness, Kildare's performance against Wicklow a couple of weeks ago was an active deterrent to most people considering a dander to Jones's Road, while Páidí's dislike of winter is such that Westmeath re-emerged into society like men who'd been away on a witness-protection programme. Wherever they've been, hopefully they burned no bridges behind them. A little anonymity might be needed this week when questions get asked about how they came to throw away a four-point lead, a one-man advantage and a penalty.
If the result was a surprise the amount of spite needed to reach it raised the eyebrows too. The first half crammed in six bookings, one sending-off and a penalty, and the focus of fascination switched from the narrow sliver of daylight between the sides to the possibility of anarchy.
The break concentrated a few minds, but Westmeath never solved the problem of how to take advantage of Ronan Sweeney's absence. They had 52 minutes of play left when Sweeney's second yellow-card offence (a little harsh in the context) in a couple of minutes caused him to be asked to leave the premises.
They played James Davitt loose at first (Kildare having used Ross Glavin to replace Sweeney in the half-forward line) and then switched to letting Michael Ennis roam.
Neither worked.
The game itself zig-zagged crazily. Westmeath, having noted the increased flutter in the flags before throw-in, decided to ride with the wind for the opening half. The gamble paid off and four points came jingling down the chute in the first five minutes. Westmeath looked like a side about to cut loose.
The Kildare forward line - with Sweeney, Tadhg Fennin and John Doyle all accommodated - had some class about it though and pulled the next three scores back, and in the stands we settled in for something interesting. We got something different anyway. Niggle and nark.
For 10 or 15 minutes it looked like the game was about to evolve into full-out fisticuffs and Westmeath in particular began collecting the yellow cards as if they had an album at home to stick them into. For their part Kildare kept the pot bubbling and Glenn Ryan in particular was prominent in all expressions of his side's discontent.
For Westmeath, though, there was always the whiff of something burning to distract them. They were losing out cruelly at midfield, where Killian Brennan and Michael Foley were very effective. Kildare's half-back line looked formidable too and Westmeath had difficulty channelling anything to the full-forward line. As the Glennon brothers would attest, only a genius like Dessie Dolan could have lived off what went in there.
By half-time the sides were pretty much on levels terms (Westmeath led by a point) if not on speaking terms but the first three points went to Kildare, who took the lead for the first time and held on to it. What impressed was Kildare's hunger and Padraig Nolan's tactical nous in getting his players to sufficiently vary the ball into the forward line to negate the personnel problem.
They managed too without having succesfully shackled Dessie Dolan and without Andrew McLoughlin, a hugely impressive player throughout the league. With a generation of young players emerging from the underage successes of recent years, Nolan has something to work with.
Through all of yesterday though it was old hands who made the difference. John Doyle was a constant source of excellence and it was his dummy and sweet point in the 67th minute that effectively ended the game.
The midfield of Foley and Brennan and Dermot Earley at centre forward formed a triangle of strength and invention when Kildare most needed it.
By then Páidí had virtually reconstructed his team but the cards weren't falling for him. He said afterwards that the result represented a bad day at the office. It was worse than that of course and nobody else in a province that lacks an elite class will have seen anything to make them tremble.
KILDARE: E Murphy; A Rainbow, P Mullarkey, J Lonergan; M Wright, G Ryan, K Ennis; K Brennan, M Foley (0-1); E Callaghan, D Earley (0-1), R Sweeney (0-1); T Fennin (0-4, three frees), R Glavin, J Doyle (0-6, one free). Subs: D McCormack (0-1) for Glavin (40 mins), S McKenzie-Smith for Callaghan (57 mins), D Hendy for Mullarkey (61 mins), W Heffernan for Foley (68 mins).
WESTMEATH: G Connaughton; J Davitt, D Healy, J Keane; M Ennis, D Heavin, D Kilmartin; R O'Connell, D O'Shaughnessy; A Mangan (0-1), F Wilson (0-1), P Mulvihill (0-1); David Glennon, Dennis Glennon, D Dolan (0-7, three frees). Subs: J McAteer for Kilmartin (30 mins), J Fallon for Wilson (46 mins), G Dolan for David Glennon (58 mins), D Duffy for Davitt (61 mins), P Conway (0-1) for Dennis Glennon (66 mins).
Referee: M Daly (Mayo).
Attendance: 35,485.
