It is extremely difficult to know what to make out of this result as far as Leinster football is concerned. Westmeath had seen off Carlow and trounced Longford, yet against Laois in Croke Park yesterday they faltered, fretted and fumbled their way to an eight-point defeat in an undistinguished match.
For much of the first half Westmeath seemed to be running the show and this was emphasised when Dessie Dolan drove home a goal from a penalty in the 21st minute to give his side a 1-2 to 0-3 advantage.
Referee Brian Crowe awarded the penalty after Martin Flanagan was brought down by the Laois full back Declan Rooney as he attempted to collect a rebound from a shot by Dolan. All seemed rosy in the Westmeath garden at that stage and they were ahead 1-5 to 0-6 at half-time. Their midfield of Rory O'Connell and David O'Shaughnessy were holding their own while Mark Staunton at centre forward and Aidan Canning at centre half back were both busy. Ger Heavin, however, was unusually quiet in the right corner of the attack.
But the rot set in a big way in the second half. Where previously Westmeath seemed organised and, at the very least, competent, they became sloppy and over-anxious. Passes went astray, possession was surrendered without any real resistance and Laois began to take control.
To the credit of the winners it has to be recorded that their defensive work was superb, with only Dolan giving them any real trouble and then mainly from frees. The Laois full-back line of Eamonn Delaney, Declan Rooney and Paudge Conway took control and half-backs Derek Conroy, Kevin Fitzpatrick and Joe Higgins (a late insertion in the vacant left half-back position) closed the Westmeath attack down. Slowly but surely Laois began to assert their superiority. In the forwards Damien Delaney and Ian Fitzgerald impressed and the midfield pair of Tony Maher and George Doyle took control. Hugh Emerson, too, began to show his experience and expertise, particularly when he administered the coup de grace with a superb point off the inside of his right boot just at the end.
During Westmeath's dominant period, left half back Kieran Ryan was particularly prominent, breaking up several Laois forays and setting his attack in motion with some astute passing. Following the Westmeath penalty there was an impression that they had taken control but Laois put the shock behind them, showing determination and resolve. They steadied themselves and came out for the second half with a new attitude. Westmeath opened that period with a point from Dolan which sent them into a three-point lead (1-6 to 0-6), but Laois set about eliminating that advantage in an admirable manner.
Their really big breakthrough came in the 12th minute of the second half when Fitzgerald, Chris Conway and Emerson combined to work the ball into the Westmeath goalmouth and Conway grabbed the opportunity to rifle the ball well wide of Dermot Ryan in the Westmeath goal. That gave a one-point advantage to Laois (1-7 to 1-6) and it is significant to note that from there on to end the only score which Westmeath managed was a point from a free by Dolan half way through the half.
In the last quarter Emerson, Fitzgerald, Damien Delaney and Chris Conway caused the Westmeath defence continuous problems and the points came at regular intervals, with Delaney particularly prominent.
A Laois win was not totally unexpected, but very few seasoned observers would have wagered decent money on a margin of eight points.
Yet, Laois never looked under stress and when they cut loose in the second half they showed that they could play high-quality football. Some of their fielding was excellent and there was always support for the player in possession when short-passing was needed.
