Westmeath 3-22 Offaly 2-16: Free-scoring Lake County cruise into Tailteann Cup final

Westmeath will meet Cavan in the Tailteann Cup final, after a dominant 3-22 to 2-16 victory over Offaly.

Jack Cooney's side were far too strong for their Leinster rivals at Croke Park, with two Lorcan Dolan goals and a Ronan Wallace strike leading them to a nine-point victory; a margin which was not fully reflective of their ease.

It was all one-way traffic from throw-in, as Westmeath capitalised upon the open spaces and loose marking in the Offaly defence.

The Lake County stormed into a 1-4 to 0-0 lead, and were dominating the contest. The goal came through Ronan Wallace in the 15th minute. The half-back made a driving run forward, was played in by David Lynch, and finished expertly past Paddy Dunican.

They should have been further ahead by the time Offaly got off the mark, having wasted eight further shots.

The Faithful County eventually scored in the 17th minute. Anton Sullivan played a quickly-taken free into the path of Keith O'Neill, who poked it past the on-rushing Jason Daly and into the net.

A Niall McNamee free made it 1-5 to 1-1, but Westmeath came again. They worked their way up the field, and found the net through Lorcan Dolan, to offset the damage of Offaly's surge.

Westmeath's attacking play was smarter, and they kept the Faithful defenders on their toes throughout with the threat of John Heslin always lingering.

Heslin could have added a third major. His close-range shot beat the Offaly goalkeeper, but it was accidently blocked by his Westmeath team-mate Sam McCartan on the line, who could not scramble out of the way in time.

Two Anton Sullivan points before the break ensured Offaly had some faint hope, but Westmeath were full value for their 2-11 to 1-6 half-time lead. Jack Cooney could be excused for frustration that his side had not fully sealed the victory by that point, after they failed to convert a further 14 shots.

Points from Heslin and Ray Connellan after the restart stretched the gap to 10. Offaly needed another goal to make a game of it, but it was not forthcoming.

Jason Daly denied Jordan Hayes' shot on goal, and Heslin kept the scoreboard ticking over for the Lake County.

Lorcan Dolan found the bottom corner of the Offaly net in the 54th minute to make it 3-15 to 1-11. A string of Niall McNamee frees were not enough to keep John Maughan's team in the hunt.

The game was over as a contest a long way from home. A stunning top-corner strike from Offaly sub Cathal Flynn in the 61st minute was already chalked down as a consolation score.

Dylan Hyland scored three Offaly points from the bench to lend the illusion of a tighter contest to the full-time score, 3-22 to 2-16, but Westmeath were vastly superior.

They will meet Cavan in the decider for their first piece of championship silverware since 2004, and a guaranteed Sam Maguire Cup spot in 2023.

Attendance: 16,616

Referee: Paul Faloon (Down)

Scorers

Westmeath: John Heslin (0-8, 0-3f), Lorcan Dolan (2-1), Ronan O'Toole (0-4), Ronan Wallace (1-0), Sam McCartan (0-3), Luke Loughlin (0-2), James Dolan (0-1), Ray Connellan (0-1), Alex Gardiner (0-1), Robbie Forde (0-1).

Offaly: Niall McNamee (0-6, 0-6f), Keith O'Neill (1-2), David Hyland (0-3), Cathal Flynn (1-0), Anton Sullivan (0-2), Jack Bryant (0-1), Mark Abbott (0-1), Jack McEvoy (0-1).

Teams

Offaly

1. Paddy Dunican

2. Lee Pearson
3. Declan Hogan
20. David Dempsey

5. Rory Egan
6. Johnny Moloney
7. Cian Donohoe

8. Conor McNamee
9. Jordan Hayes

10. Bill Carroll
11. Ruairí McNamee
12. Anton Sullivan

13. Jack Bryant
14. Niall McNamee
15. Keith O'Neill

Subs
Dylan Hyland for Bill Carroll (22)
James Lalor for Conor McNamee (ht)
Mark Abbott for Lee Pearson (52)
Cathal Flynn for Jack Bryant (52)
Jack McEvoy for Ruairí McNamee (65)

Westmeath

1. Jason Daly

2. Jack Smith
5. James Dolan
3. Kevin Maguire

6. Ronan Wallace
12. David Lynch
4. Jamie Gonoud

9. Ray Connellan
22. Sam Duncan

8. Jonathan Lynam
11. Ronan O'Toole
10. Sam McCartan

13. Luke Loughlin
14. John Heslin
15. Lorcan Dolan

Subs
Robbie Forde for Sam Duncan (46)
Ger Egan for Jonathan Lynam (55)
Alex Gardiner for Lorcan Dolan (63)
Nigel Harte for James Dolan (69)
Kieran Martin for Luke Loughlin (69)