Westmeath SFC final: Garrycastle in seventh heaven after Dolan masterclass
October 26, 2014
Garrycastle celebrate their Westmeath SFC final win over Mullingar Shamrocks at Casack Park. Pic courtesy of Daniel Boyce Photography.
Garrycastle 1-11
Mullingar Shamrocks 0-8
Dessie Dolan produced a masterclass as his father Dessie Snr guided Garrycastle to their first Flanagan Cup in three years and their seventh since 2001 at a wind-swept Cusack Park.
The retired Westmeath star didn't score from play, with all five of his points coming from frees, but he orchestrated proceedings from the '40' as the 2012 All-Ireland finalists proved too strong for Bernard Flynn's Mullingar charges.
The writing was on the wall for Shamrocks at half-time when they trailed by 0-3 to 1-3, despite having played with the gale to their backs in the opening 30 minutes. Two frees from Dolan and a point from Gary McCallion had given the Athlone side a 0-3 to 0-0 lead before Ciaran Curley finally opened Shamrocks' account in the 22nd minute.
Lorcan Smyth narrowed the gap before the Dolan cousins, Dessie and James, combined to set up Alex Gardiner for a stunning 25th minute goal.
Garrycastle Westmeath champions 2014 pic.twitter.com/npoVDXLsQ0
- westmeathgaaofficial (@westmeath_gaa) October 26, 2014
Curley and Smyth kept Shamrocks - who had needed replays to get past Tyrrellspass and holders St. Loman's in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively - in it, but they couldn't get any closer than three points as Dolan and Michael Monaghan responded for Garrycastle.
Fittingly, it was the former All Star who sealed the win with a brilliant pointed 45-metre free from out of the hands.
Garrycastle's victory means that the three main football titles in Westmeath have all found their homes in the south of the county, with Caulry taking the intermediate crown and Moate All-Whites the junior.
Garrycastle - C Mullin; M McCallion, J Donohue, A Fox; K Henson, J Gaffey, G McCallion (0-1); J Barrett, A Browne; D Rushe (0-1), D Dolan (0-5f), M Guiheen; C Cosgrove, A Gardiner (1-0), J Dolan (0-1). Subs: G Dolan for C Cosgrove, M Monaghan (0-2) for M Guiheen, J Duignan (0-1) for D Rushe, C O'Neill for A Gardiner.
Mullingar Shamrocks - P Shaw; E Moore, A Purcell, E Siode; K Daly, E O'Neill, C Kirwan; D O'Donoghue, D Corroon (0-2, 1f); S Daly, L Smyth (0-3, 1f), S Quinn; D Gavin, D Daly, C Curley (0-2). Subs: P Joyce (0-1) for D Gavin, D McDermott for K Daly, A Clinton for D O'Donoghue, P Fagan for S Quinn, C Moore for P Joyce (BC).
Referee - P Fox.
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