What a day it was. For 35 minutes, the Leinster Championship descended into entertainment. And not just relative entertainment either, it was genuine, edge of the seat stuff. It seemed as if some Dublin fans were more excited about the prospect of Meath's humiliating loss than they were about their own county's inevitable march to nineteen point victory.
Some may say it was the exception that proves the rule but nonetheless, Westmeath more than played their part in ensuring there'll be some positive (neutral) memories from this year's edition of Dublin's extended training session.
And as we've all heard by now, that victory over Meath was quite a while in coming. 22 games, not a single Championship victory. It was certainly time for that to change.
One man whose memory of those 22 clashes are fresher than most is Declan Ó Muíneacháin, a Westmeath fan who's been watching his county lose to Meath since the 50's. He was in Croke Park yesterday, but as he told the John Murray Show on RTÉ Radio One this morning, he still didn't quite get to see that all important moment.
To see Westmeath beat our all powerful neighbours has been number one on my bucket list for many years, stemming from defeats going back to the fifties. Yesterday could be the last chance. The first half was torture, amateurs against pros once again.
At half time I cracked, a new form of elder abuse. I just couldn't take it anymore so I jettisoned my premium ticket and vamoosed, peddle to the floor. I still refuse to believe the media reports, although I won't throw away my betting slip just yet.
It's got to hurt that he didn't actually get to see it but we're going to assume he's still delighted that it finally happened. Let's hope he can get to see it on the RTÉ Player in the next few days.
