Westmeath were on a different level admits McNulty

Laois manager Justin McNulty paid tribute to Westmeath following their emphatic victory over the O’Moore County at TEG Cusack Park on Saturday.

The Armagh man pointed to the two first half goals as being crucial scores and was impressed with the level of intensity Westmeath brought to the table. The home side’s desire was evident when they worked a goal after the hooter went at the end of the first half - Ronan Wallace joining the attack to find the net.

“A tough day at the office for Laois. Full credit to Westmeath, they outplayed us in every area of the pitch for most of the game and were fully deserving of their victory. They were fiendishly hungry in the tackle, they were physical, they were powerful. They played great ball across the day and scored great scores. We just weren't able to get up to the pace of the game,” he observed.

“We got close to them just before half-time, and then they got two killer-blow goals before half-time, which was a huge body blow, and we weren't able to recover from that. Our confidence was down, and we just didn't get up to the pace of the game in the manner that we needed to do today. Those things happen, and the game got away from us.”

Westmeath led by 2-12 to 0-7 at the interval and that 11-point gap put serious pressure on the visiting side.

“The message was very much focused on trying to get control of our kick-outs, trying to disrupt their kick-outs, which we did relatively effectively for phases,” remarked McNulty.

“But I guess our turnovers cost us very dearly, and our possession efficiency cost us dearly. As was our shot efficiency, they were much more accurate than us. They had more shots, better accuracy. So with all those things compounded against you, it's hard to win games. They out-physicaled us and outplayed us in most areas of the pitch today.

“That just happens on certain days, and the Laois team by no means did themselves, none of us did ourselves justice today. We have to look at that and study what happens and come back stronger and more determined,” he added.

Laois came into Saturday's game on the back of a wonderful win over Offaly, but McNulty said Dermot McCabe's charges were a different level of opposition.

“We thought there would have been huge confidence after last week, but Westmeath were a different level, they were at a different pitch and we didn't get to that pitch today,” he said.

Much of the focus was on McNulty's future and he insisted that he intends to see out the final year of his current term.

Westmeath now head to Aughrim next weekend for a quarter-final clash against Wicklow, who incidentally defeated Laois, 0-21 to 0-16, in the first round.