REPORT: Second half blitz earns Monaghan quarter-final berth

By Shaun Casey

Monaghan 1-28 Westmeath 2-18

A strong second half display saw Monaghan overcome Leinster champions Westmeath with seven to spare as they booked their place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

The sides were all square when the half time hooter sounded in a predictable nip and tuck first half, but the home side were much better after the turnaround and comfortably pulled away in the second period.

The first half was a tale of goals and two-pointers with Westmeath rattling the back of the net twice while Monaghan raised the orange flag on five occasions.

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Rory Beggan was the man in front of the posts as he converted three frees from outside the arc while Mícheál McCarville and Andrew Woods also landed two-pointers in the first 35 minutes.

At the other end, rampaging wing back Matthew Whittaker blasted home a brilliant goal while the dangers Brandon Kelly did the same, after Mark McHugh’s men had overturned a Monaghan restart.

Kevin O’Sullivan and Kelly grabbed the final two scores of the opening period and that left the sides tied at the halfway point, 0-15 to 2-9.

Both sides started the second half brightly and kicked three-points at either end before Monaghan kicked three on the bounce to give them some breathing space.

A goal from Jack McCarron at the end of the third quarter opened up a five-point gap and Gabriel Bannigan’s side never really looked back.

Westmeath did grab a couple of two-pointers late on, but the damage had already been done and Monaghan will take on either Galway, Cork, Louth or Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter-finals next weekend at Croke Park.

Monaghan: Rory Beggan 0-6 (3tpf), Ryan Wylie, Killian Lavelle, Dylan Byrne, Dessie Ward 0-2, Ryan O’Toole, Conor McCarthy 0-1, Mícheál McCarville 0-2 (1tp), Karl Gallagher, Aaron Carey, Mícheál Bannigan 0-3, Stephen O’Hanlon 0-3, Jack McCarron 1-5, Andrew Woods 0-2 (1tp), Stephen Mooney 0-3. Subs: Aaron Carey for K. Gallagher, David Garland 0-1 for A. Woods, Ryan McAnespie for A. Carey, Kian Mulligan for R. Beggan, Robbie Hanratty for K. Lavelle.

Westmeath: Jason Daly, Adam Treanor, Charlie Drumm, Tadgh Baker 0-1, Ronan Wallace 0-4 (1tpfd), Shane Allen, Matthew Whittaker 1-2, Brian Cooney, Shane Ormsby, Kevin O’Sullivan 0-1, Sam McCartan 0-1, Conor Dillon, John Heslin 0-2, Seanan Baker, Brandon Kelly 1-3. Subs: Robbie Forde for B. Cooney, Shane Corcoran 0-3 (1tp) for S. Baker, Ray Connellan for J. Heslin, Jack Duncan for K. O’Sullivan, Daniel Scahill for A. Treanor.