Lacklustre Meath stunned in Tullamore thriller

Westmeath .......................................4-1-16 (30)

Meath ...............................................0-4-17 (25)

Beware the viper in the long grass waiting to pounce.

Meath found that out to their cost at Tullamore on Sunday as their Leinster SFC ambitions were stunned at the first hurdle by a hungrier, more determined and ferocious Westmeath.

Hunger and hurt are great motivating factors. In their last 23 championship meetings Meath have won 20 and drawn three with their only defeat coming when the sides last met in 2015. Westmeath were determined to not endure that hurt again.

Meath can point to numerous things that went against them. They probably should have been four points clear in the early stages, but Cian McBride was denied by a brave save from Conor McCormack that forced the Westmeath 'keeper off on a stretcher.

Westmeath's two first-half goals were both assisted by huge elements of good fortune, while the fourth and final goal came just on the hooter after Meath had tried to get a quick kickout out away to set up a potential two-pointer equaliser.

In between Meath had missed chances, sloppy play, poor defending, lumbering attacks that left them second best in almost every battle against a Westmeath side that hassled and harried and forced turnovers constantly.

The difference in intensity between league and championship is always highlighted and Meath walked into Tullamore in league mode.

They never reached championship fever and it was only when the Herculean efforts of many of the Westmeath players forced them off with injury or cramp that Meath started to eat into the 10-point lead, 3-16 to 0-15, Westmeath built up with 20 minutes remaining.

Meath did show admirable character to close that deficit to two, but even then a careless, sloppy tackle allowed Westmeath take the sting out of Meath's momentum.

It was a constant theme throughout a thoroughly disappointing day.

There wasn't the urgency about Meath in the early stages that they might have expected.

Jordan Morris showboated his skills to open the scoring inside three minutes and two minutes later Eoghan Frayne doubled Meath's lead after Jack Flynn's long delivery.

Ray Connellan proved his danger with a fine riposte, but Meath were still casual as Flynn, Jack O'Connor and Ruairi Kinsella kicked decent two-point chances wide and McBride had his goal chance saved.

All those let-offs gave Westmeath energy and belief, and they grew into the game.

Brandon Kelly was denied a goal by a brilliant save from Sean Brennan, but his advanced mark to create that chance gave him the consolation of a point.

Luke Loughlin wreaked havoc all afternoon and he edged Westmeath in front for the first time in the 16th minute and two minutes later he punished a sleepy Meath defence by playing a quick one-two from a '45' with Matthew Whittaker and doubled his side's lead.

Sensing an ambush Meath settled again with Flynn pointing before Morris converted a free after Kinsella had been shoved in the back inches outside the penalty area.

A misplaced Morris attempt was deflected into the path of Aaron Lynch and he made no mistake to make it 0-5 to 0-4.

After Brian Cooney equalised Meath had a penalty shout waved away when Donal Keogan looked to have been fouled, but Meath did get a score from that attack as Jack O'Connor swept over the scraps - that was the last time Meath led.

Whittaker's surging run saw him almost lose possession a couple of times and on other occasions during his journey to goals he was knocked forward which allowed him build momentum and bury a low shot to make it 1-5 to 0-6.

Sam McCartan added a point but Kinsella made the most of a poor pass to score before Frayne clipped over from a narrow angle to close the deficit to a point.

Meath looked to have settled, but as time slipped into the injury period allowed for the long stoppage to treat McCormack, Shane Corcoran was credited with a goal that was bundled over the line following a scramble that should have been cleared.

Lynch settled Meath after that blow with a decent score, but Westmeath had their tails up and they hit points from Kevin O'Sullivan, Kelly and Sam McCartan (free) in the lead in to half-time to take a 2-9 to 0-9 lead.

Meath needed a good start to the second period, but instead they were hit by another self-inflicted wound when a turnover in midfield was punished by a two-pointer from Loughlin.

O'Connor ran from deep to open Meath's second-half account three minutes after the resumption, but every time the Royals looked like building momentum they were blown away by Westmeath's sheer determination.

Whittaker rattled the crossbar with a rasper before Corcoran pointed the rebound. Frayne did reply with a brilliant two-pointer, but Loughlin kept Meath at arms length with a score to make it 2-13 to 0-12.

Bryan Menton restored the half-time deficit with a point, but Westmeath were by far the better team and stretched their advantage to eight points with Corcoran and Loughlin on target.

The first of James Conlon's four points after his 38th minute introduction was quickly followed by his second as Meath's recovery coincided with Loughlin having to leave the field with a hamstring problem.

Despite Loughlin's absence Westmeath continued to cause Meath issues.

Sam McCartan converted a free and in the 55th minute Robbie Forde blasted an unbelievable goal from an outrageous angle and distance to extend Westmeath's lead to 10 points, 3-16 to 0-15.

Only then did Meath start to raise their game to championship pitch.

Flynn kicked a brilliant two-pointer and Conlon added another brace of scores to close the gap to 0-19 to 3-16.

Another Connellan score and Sam McCartan's first from play sandwiched a two-pointer for Kinsella to maintain Westmeath's six-point lead, but Meath never hit the panic button.

Kinsella pounced on a slip by Ronan Wallace to blast over a goal chance, before quick thinking by Morris from a close in free gifted Kinsella another two-pointer which made it 0-24 to 3-18 with two and half-minutes left on the clock.

Morris made it a two-point game moments later, but Westmeath retained possession and won a free to kill Meath's momentum.

That effort went wide, but Brennan's quick kickout with just 15 seconds left on the clock was gathered by Westmeath and Danny McCartan was released to fire the fourth goal on the hooter to spark wild celebrations and emphatically burst Meath's provincial ambitions.

Westmeath - Conor McCormack; Daniel Scahill, Charlie Drumm, Tadhg Baker; Ronan Wallace, Shane Allen, Matthew Whittaker (1-0); Brian Cooney (0-1), Ray Connellan (0-2); Kevin O'Sullivan (0-1), Sam McCartan (0-4 three frees), Conor Dillon; Shane Corcoran (1-2), Luke Loughlin (0-6 one two-pointer), Brandon Kelly (0-2 one mark). Subs - Jason Daly for McCormack 8m, Shane Ormsby for Cooney 40m, Robbie Forde (1-0) for Loughlin 51m, Tom Molloy for Allen 54m, Danny McCartan (1-0) for Kelly 64m.

Meath - Sean Brennan; Seamus Lavin, Sean Rafferty, Brian O'Halloran; Donal Keogan, Sean Coffey, Ciaran Caulfield; Jack Flynn (0-3 one two-pointer), Bryan Menton (0-1); Jack O'Connor (0-2), Ruairi Kinsella (0-6 two two-pointer), Cian McBride; Jordan Morris (0-3 two frees), Eoghan Frayne (0-4 one two-pointer), Aaron Lynch (0-2). Subs - James Conlon (0-4) for Lynch 37m, Cathal Hickey for McBride, Killian Smyth for O'Halloran both 51m, Conor Duke for O'Connor 56m, Keith Curtis for Frayne 59m,

Referee - Liam Devanney (Mayo).