No more room for error - Waterford 3-22 Westmeath 0-14

The Westmeath welcome was warm. The weather was even warmer with the press box resembling a green house due to the lack of ventilation. The Déise hordes had to travel past Tullamore on this occasion and follow the signposts to home of Joe Dolan. Plenty of photos had to be taken of his statue in the centre of town before heading towards the ground in the shadow of Dunnes Stores.

Small touches like the traditonal music at the intervals and a PA announcer with a sense of humour all added to the match experience.

Despite losing a spicy football starter, the maroon supporters stayed on right to the finish. They were rewarded for their loyalty. The visitors were also vocally backed and it eventually turned into an enjoyable evening. With the Mullingar mission complete, the stage is clear for another duel against one of the top dogs. Will the running repairs made through the backdoor stand up to that test?

It was a messy start. Maurice Shanahan and Liam Varley got all tangled up in the corner as the action commenced. After consulting with Brian Gavin, Diarmuid Kirwan issued two yellows but two reds wouldn't have been a surprise. After Derek McNicholas got Westmeath off the mark, David Fennell and Shane O'Sullivan got involved off the ball under the stand. Two more yellows followed.

A lack of sharpness and focus led to a shabby first half overall. Michael Ryan reflected afterwards on that lax mindset. “Maybe it was a bit of complacency, I don’t know. Maybe it was the way that people took things for granted. On championship Saturday or Sunday, everything is up for grabs and once we got the attitude right, the hurling came after that.”

Westmeath pressed from the front and forced errors. Three turnovers led to three points. Donal Óg Cusack identified the root of the problem on The Sunday Game two weeks ago and yet Déise defenders continue to pass the ball out across the goal rather than clearing down the wings. They could pay a high price for that down the tracks.

The hooking and blocking from their hungry opponents resulted in some unexpected gains. Wing men Brendan Murtagh and Derek McNicholas were flying and Eoghan Price raced around the middle. Waterford were in the rough but scrambled well predominantly through Michael Walsh and Seamus Prendergast. Eleven first half plays, including an assist for Shane O’Sullivan, was yet another demonstration of poise under pressure from the Brick. Prendergast won two frees and did all the spade work for Brian O’Sullivan to ripple the top corner at the Dunnes Stores end. That goal ensured parity which Waterford scarcely deserved and that shook them up in the dressing room.

Kevin Moran moved to wing back as Darragh Fives resumed in the middle and that had a positive impact on both players. They lifted the pace and eliminated the sloppy errors. Westmeath eventually ran out of petrol. Prendergast and Maurice Shanahan scored five between them in a decisive spurt of scoring before O’Sullivan sharply turned and buried a brave effort from hosts. The wides continue to be an inconvenient truth however. Thirteen on Saturday brings the total to 45 over three games.

Michael Ryan believes that the first half will serve as a reality check going forward. “Certainly it will make us realise that there is work to do. It will keep our feet on the ground and we will be firmly grounded going in. We have a good, tough week of training and we’ll prepare very well and lighten off for the week of the game. There’s an awful lot to play for. We have won two rounds of the championship.  It will be our fourth championship game with a lot of young fellas and they can only benefit from days like today.”

In terms of the missing men, Jamie Nagle and Paudie Prendergast will be back in contention for the next big day out. The forward configuration may be tinkered with. Pauric Mahony, Jamie Barron and Gavin O’Brien appear to be vying for one spot. Although Maurice Shanahan's emergence as the marquee man with 1-22 over two game is a significant development, there is a marked improvement in the overall shape of the attack. Brian O'Sullivan has added a cutting edge and the important ingredient of goals. Those three green flags and bursting through the twenty point barrier on consecutive weekends will lift confidence in their shooting. Kevin Moran and Seamus Prendergast are also back to where they want to be.

The boost of two qualifier wins and a two week rest period to prepare gives them an opportunity to collect themselves for an assault on one of the All Ireland contenders. It’s a time to absorb the lessons and make the necessary improvements. Freshness will be their trump card as they wait for the fall out from Nowlan Park. They can watch the drama unfold as two heavyweights trade blows. In the blue corner, Waterford must have the knockout punch ready. 2013 isn’t the best year to rekindle the flame through the qualifier route but yevents in Portlaoise opens a shaft of light and possibility. To return to a question posed earlier is everything in readiness for this severe test?