Dessie grabs hat-trick as 'Castle crush feeble Bunbrosna challenge

Des Dolan may have had an injury-ravaged 2009 on the inter-county front, but his undoubted class shone through as he and his Garrycastle colleagues tormented a feeble Bunbrosna defence in a painfully one-sided second leg of a Westmeath SFC double-header at Cusack Park on Saturday evening last. The losers, resplendent in their new gear, were severely understrength for Saturday's game but they still looked well out of their depth against a fitter and more focused Garrycastle side, who seem sure to figure in the business end of the Flanagan Cup come the autumn. Ironically, Bun took the lead and were still in front with 20 minutes on the clock. However, three goals (including two from Des Dolan) late in the first half meant that the game was effectively over as a contest by the interval and Anthony Cunningham's charges piled on the agony for the blue and whites after the break, eventually winning by a whopping 24-points margin. The opening exchanges were very poor with both sides guilty of scrappy play and poor shooting, with even the normally-imperious Des Dolan displaying petulance when things did not go his way. With exactly ten minutes elapsed, Peter Tormey gave Bunbrosna the lead with a trademark left-footed finish. Des Dolan missed a very scoreable free for the winners as the entertainment content for the small crowd continued to be very small indeed. It was a full 18 minutes before the men in green and red registered their first score, courtesy of a wonderful point from 40 metres from Aidan Browne. Hesitancy in the winners' defence presented Peter Tormey with a routine free in the 20th minute, and the former Westmeath panellist slotted over the lead score for Bun. However, the remainder of the first moiety was a nightmare for Tom Rehill's troops with Garrycastle adding an unanswered 3-3 in a devastating 11-minute spell. Des Dolan was the star of this scoring blitz, firstly converting a 25-metre free and following up with a sublime point from play, from around 40 metres. In the 23rd minute, an inevitable goal ensued, the former All-Star taking Aidan Browne's pass and drilling the ball under Damien McCormack. Gary Dolan almost added another three-pointer, with Alan Daly firing his follow-up effort barely over the crossbar. A Des Dolan free from 35 metres came back off the upright but the former International Rules star soon found the net for the second time when he took Seanie O'Donoghue's pass and buried the ball high in the Bunbrosna net. Des Dolan turned provider in the 31st minute, teeing up Johnny McGuire who flicked the ball to the net, to leave Garrycastle in a very commanding position at the break, leading by 3-4 to 0-2. The Bunbrosna players were slow to re-emerge from the dressing room for the second half and their woes increased when Alan Daly pointed a left-footed free some 50 seconds after the resumption of play. Bun's scorer-in-chief, Peter Tormey replied with a delightful point in the second minute, but it wasn't long before Des Dolan completed his hat-trick, this time with his left foot after neat combination play with Alan Daly. Gary Dolan, acting as a third midfielder, then set up his better-known older brother for another point. Following a quickly-taken '45', James Duignan made it 4-7 to 0-3 for the winners in the tenth minute. Des Dolan continued to run the show and his wonderfully-perceptive pass found its way to Johnny McGuire who was upended at the expense of a penalty kick. Alan Daly superbly slotted home the resultant spot kick for Garrycastle's fifth goal. James Dolan increased their advantage with a lovely finish for his first score of the evening. Andy Whitney did well to point for the losers who then rode their luck when Karl Henson came forward from defence but his lobbed effort came back off the woodwork. Des Dolan was then withdrawn, much to the relief of a beleaguered Bun defence, but the Garrycastle scores continued to flow, James Dolan slotting over another point in the 17th minute. Three minutes later, Peter Tormey's goal attempt whizzed over Cathal Mullin's crossbar for what proved to be Bunbrosna's last score of the hour. The South Westmeath men rounded off match scoring with five unanswered points, Alan Daly now taking over the scoring stakes from Des Dolan, with four points - three successful frees and a goal attempt from play superbly deflected over the bar by Damien McCormack. Sandwiched between the second and fourth of these, Johnny McGuire kicked a fine point under pressure. On this form, Garrycastle are entitled to be counted among the favourites for a fourth county crown this decade. For their part, Bunbrosna seem destined to be part of a dog-fight to avoid the trap door to the intermediate grade. GARRYCASTLE: Cathal Mullin; Padraig Rattigan, John Gaffey, Mark McCallon; Donovan Hermbusche, Karl Henson, Doran Harte; Aidan Browne (0-1), Seanie O'Donoghue; James Dolan (0-2), James Duignan (0-1), Johnny McGuire (1-1); Alan Daly (1-6, 1-0pen, 0-4f), Gary Dolan (capt), Des Dolan (3-3, 0-1f). Subs: Enda Mulvihill (for Hermbusche, 45 mins), Robbie Fox (for D. Dolan, 45), Stephen O'Reilly (for O'Donoghue, 48), Shane Mulvihill (for Duignan, 52), Tom McHugh (for Rattigan, 52). BUNBROSNA: Damien McCormack; Conor Newman, Simon Moorehead, Sean Walshe; Conor Lyons, Liam Mitchell, Noel Kiernan; Kieran Murphy, Aidan Finnan (capt); Simon Maher, Andy Whitney (0-1), Kevin Mitchell; Jamie Shaw, Peter Tormey (0-4, 1f), Fintan Finnan. Subs: Niall Harte (for Murphy, 46 mins), Kenny Conroy (for Shaw, 49), Dave Newman (for L. Mitchell, 50), Fintan Connaughton (for Maher, 55). REFEREE: Sean Carroll (The Downs).