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Sunday proved to be a demoralising afternoon for Westmeath, who suffered a 4-29 to 0-10 Leinster SFC semi-final defeat against Dublin.

Sunday proved to be a demoralising afternoon for Westmeath, who suffered a 4-29 to 0-10 Leinster SFC semi-final defeat against Dublin.

There was more than an air of hope around the county last week that Mayo could go to Croke Park and drive a knife into the heart of Dublin's 32 game unbeaten run in their own back yard. But from within minutes of the ball being thrown in, those hopes were proved to be idle pleasures of an early spring day dream.

When Mayo needed a man to show the leadership in a clutch situation, their star man came good right at the death. Cillian O’Connor showed why he was picked by Stephen Rochford as his captain, when he created the space he needed to shimmy inside and drill the ball through the drizzle over the bar and electrify the Mayo faithful in Croke Park to haul his side level at the death.

It’s game eight of Mayo’s 2016 championship campaign and the biggest one of all, the All-Ireland final against the reining champions and hot favourites Dublin. Mayo are priced at 3/1, the Dubs are 4/11 while the draw is available at 10/1. In layman’s terms the bookmakers don’t see Dublin been beaten. The handicap betting is set at -3 points meaning the expert odd makers feel Dublin will win by about three.

And Dublin it is, as we expected. Dublin qualified for an All-Ireland final showdown with Mayo after one of the most pulsating and memorable semi-finals you are likely to see. It was no place for the faint hearted.

It will be 501 days since Stephen Rochford stepped out on to the field in Croke Park and raised his arms in celebration after guiding Corofin to glory in the All Ireland Senior Club Championship on Saturday. Tomorrow will mark his return to GAA headquarters as a manager, this time with the hopes of a whole county resting on his and his players' shoulders.

Westmeath suffered a second successive Leinster SFC Final defeat when losing against All Ireland champions Dublin at Croke Park on Sunday.

A few of us used to go regularly to All-Ireland football finals as a matter of course, and the same four men traveled to all the football finals from about 2004 until 2011. Things change though, and a few of us have children old enough now to want to go themselves with Dad if he can snaffle an extra ticket.