All-Ireland SFC Group 2, round three
Tyrone 0-18 Westmeath 0-18
WITH the pendulum swinging wildly between Breffni and Carrick-on-Shannon, you could tell that John Heslin knew what rested on his shoulders.
They’re the big, broad shoulders that have carried Westmeath for a lot of the last decade, holding up that always-wide, trademark gumshield smile.
If the people of Westmeath had a choice of any man in history they’d have wanted over that free, it was perhaps Heslin or his manager.
Dessie Dolan had calls for different scenarios so that the players knew exactly how they stood. That in itself tells you they were serious about winning.
As Heslin spluttered through an unusual run-up, the ball came off his right boot that bit too straight.
Every living inhabitant of Tyrone held their breath. After the high of beating Armagh, being talked up again, they’re what, three, four inches from being out of the All-Ireland at the hands of Westmeath?
When the white shirt arrived at its station, the arms said wide. And it was wide, as Heslin admitted after the game.
Westmeath have spent the last month making a mockery of their positioning as plankton for the others in the group.
While Sligo played that part for Dublin, there was never any sense that the second game would be anything like a kicking-in match for Tyrone.
It was an unusually muted Kingspan Breffni that had the feel of everyone in for the seniors and then heading home before the reserves started.
That Darren McCurry wasn’t able to play any part through injury was notable. Feargal Logan said afterwards they could have used him if needed, which gives you an indication of how rapidly the tide came in on them.
At 0-15 to 0-11 with fifteen to play, they seemed to have finally broken Westmeath’s resolve.
Well, they being Darragh Canavan.
Injuries have meant it has taken him a while to properly find his feet at this level. There have been flashes and moments of the obvious brilliance he possesses. But in the last two weeks, he looks like a man ready to lead Tyrone’s attack for a generation.
On the day the younger sibling Ruairi made his first championship start and went home satisfied with three points, Darragh completely took the limelight away.
The tally of ten points barely does justice to the artistry, the sleights and the feints, the dummies and the dances and the visionary through-balls that Kevin Maguire just could do nothing about.
“He’s out of a good stable, as is Ruairi, as is wee Seanie O’Donnell [their cousin who also came on late on],” said Feargal Logan.
“Darragh’s a special talent, we’re just glad we have him. The oul boy led us to the top of the mountain, we hope that Darragh leads us to the top of the mountain too.”
And yet they were so close to toppling off it in an atmosphere that struggled to fully grasp the consequences of a chaotic final day in the group stages.
Mayo, Monaghan and Roscommon had all stepped on landmines. Tyrone entered the arena well warned, but couldn’t raise a gallop in the sticky heat. The crowd felt equally unenthused.
Westmeath had a goal chance inside 30 seconds that they overplayed and got nothing from. Conn Kilpatrick was denied towards the end of the first half by a spectacular Jason Daly save. In between, there really was very little to report beyond the brilliance of Darragh Canavan and a few interjections by Luke Loughlin.
It was only when the oul boy’s eldest fought off a couple of fouls and kicked Tyrone 0-11 to 0-9 ahead twelve minutes into the second half that the place came to life.
By the end it was threatening to spill over a bit, such was the Red Hands’ annoyance at some of the calls by referee Noel Mooney.
There was no question the Ulster men had the much harder time getting their frees.
Conn Kilpatrick galloped in behind Westmeath and was clean through on goal when Kevin Maguire stopped him with a cynical head-high challenge. At first look you thought a clear penalty and black card under the rule that’s come back to life lately.
Instead, yellow and a free. Bizarrely, the referee was technically correct. Cynical as it was, it wasn’t a pull down so it wasn’t a black card. The rule really needs rewritten to give some leeway for the ref to make a judgement call on instances as blatant as this.
There was a growing sense that it wouldn’t matter but it so nearly did. Westmeath, with Ronan O’Toole causing problems all day and Heslin missing nothing to land on nine points himself, just wouldn’t lie down and die right.
69 minutes gone, they’re three down. Four minutes later, Ray Connellan kicks them level. They force the kickout short, Conor Meyler stumbles and touches the ball on the ground. Armagh are one up on Galway, as they would stay.
Out wide but still on the 13m line, Heslin breaks routine. In centipede steps he moves towards the spot he’ll kick from, maybe 15 tiny steps in all. The ball starts outside and stays outside.
“Look at John’s performance, he’s an incredible servant. At this level against the top teams, it’s a matter of inches,” says Dessie Dolan, drooped on a bench in an empty changing room.
Westmeath have carried the candle brilliantly for the Tailteann Cup. Any uncertainty over its winners' worthiness has been quashed for a while.
Tyrone’s candle has a few millimetres of wick left on it after all.
Enough to light their way to success? Not if they play anything like this again.
Tyrone N Morgan; A Clarke, R McNamee; M McKernan, C Quinn, M O’Neill, C Meyler; B Kennedy, P Hampsey, C Kilpatrick; P Harte, J Oguz, M Donnelly; R Canavan (0-3, 0-2 frees), D Canavan (0-10, 0-6 frees)
Subs K McGeary (0-1) for Oguz (41), F Burns for McNamee (42), N Devlin for Donnelly (64), N Kelly for Clarke (66)
Westmeath J Daly; J Smith, K Maguire; S McCartan (0-2), D Lynch, A McCormack; J Lynam, J Heslin (0-9, 0-7 frees), R Connellan (0-1); C Dillon, R O’Toole (0-1), J Dolan, R Wallace; L Dolan, L Loughlin (0-4, 0-2 frees)
Subs S Smith for L Dolan (42), S Baker for Dillon (45), J Gonoud for J Smith (55), K Martin (0-1) for Maguire (66)
Referee N Mooney (Cavan)
