Westmeath Senior Football Championship, Quarter-final replay: Athlone 2-9 Mullingar Shamrocks 1-10.

Shamrocks championship hopes for the 2016 season evaporated into the floodlit air of Tubberclaire on Wednesday night after a particularly poor second-half performance, In the opening half Shamrocks played some of their most positive football of the season, attacking with aggressive intent, combining well and making maximum use of their scoring chances. After John Connellan opened the scoring for Athlone, Shamrocks added 1-3 without reply. Seanie Daly finished a fine piece of combination play with a point, Ciarán Curley hit a long range point and Seanie Daly smashed home a penalty goal. This was awarded for a foul on Denis Corroon who gathered the football in spectacular fashion with a one-handed catch. Unfortunately, the aerial route as a means of attack was abandoned after that successful effort. Ciarán Curley added another point, this time taking the sensible option and hand-passing the ball over to secure a 1-3 to 0-1 lead for Shamrocks. The scoring rate was not sustained as Shamrocks added 0-4 before the interval to Athlone's 0-2. The Shamrocks points were shared between Denis Corroon who pointed a brace of frees and Tye Adamson who hit two fine long-range points from play. As a result, Shamrocks retired to the dressing rooms with a comfortable six points (1-7 to 0-4) lead.

Unfortunately, the Shamrocks team that emerged after half-time was a reincarnation of the team that performed so poorly against The Downs in the opening round and a shadow of the free scoring outfit that performed so well against Maryland and Castledaly. Athlone dominated the second-half and reeled off scores from John Connellan (0-2), Jordan Marshment (0-1) and two goals from super-sub Ray Connellan, both coming directly from balls launched high into the Shamrocks goalmouth with Connellan securing the vital finishing touches on both occasions. The six point lead had become a three point deficit. On the very day that Roy Keane accepted that 'we [Ireland] have always found it difficult to look after the ball' Shamrocks became afflicted with the same contagious condition at key stages of the second half as good attacking moves broke down and Athlone were also gifted scores, that proved to be vital, from unnecessary turnovers.

As they faced the championship exit sign, Shamrocks reacted with great courage and scored three points through Ciarán Curley, Daragh Daly and Denis Corroon. Curley was in the process of scoring a fourth point when he believed he was fouled and when he explained this to Sean Carroll, the referee felt that more diplomacy was required and he produced the dreaded black card to the Shamrocks man. Athlone were not to be denied however and they controlled the closing minutes; points from Jordan Marshment and John Connellan secured the victory that was full deserved given their second-half dominance.

Shamrocks: Philly Shaw; Aaron Purcell, Eddie Moore, David Coyne; Micheál Curley, Kieran Gavin, Efe Siode; Killian Daly and Daragh Daly (0-1); Seanie Daly (1-1) [Simon Quinn], Dónal O' Donoghue, Tye Adamson (0-2); Patrick Fagan [Ross Corroon], Denis Corroon (0-3), Ciarán Curley (0-3, black card) [Brian Melody].