By Kevin Egan

Westmeath star John Heslin has promised the Midlanders will take the game to Dublin in Sunday’s Leinster SFC Semi-Final.

The two teams have contested the last two Leinster Finals and on both days Westmeath adopted a safety-first, defensive posture.

But the free-scoring Heslin seems to be suggesting they’ll play more on the front-foot this time around.

“They’re a fantastic team, no doubt about it, but we can play football too and that’s what we’re planning to do next Sunday” he declared.

Heslin was the man who got on the end of most Westmeath’s attacking moves in last Saturdays’s Leinster Quarter-Final replay win over Offaly, racking up a personal tally of 1-6, but he paid tribute to the hard running by his defenders and believes that they will be key when it comes to taking on the Dubs this weekend at Croke Park.

“We have great lads coming from our half back line and our full back line at pace, and we didn’t get that going last week,” said Heslin.

“This time we did, and that’s where our goal came from, we came at pace, got a man over and we got our goal,” said the free-scoring Westmeath forward after their 3-17 to 0-15 win.

“We brought a bit more intensity to it, the day that was in it was a fantastic day for football, and it was a good game. Last week wasn’t, but that’s the way it goes, nobody wanted to lose and we came out rightful winners”.

The 0-10 each draw that was played out at Bord na Móna O’Connor Park between the two sides drew a lot of criticism in the media, and Heslin admitted that he didn’t get much enjoyment out of it either.

“It was kind of like a chess game, and it wasn’t fun to be playing in it. And to get the criticism wasn’t great on both sides. So at least there were a lot more scores, but I suppose you see there that when games open up, you run the risk of conceding a couple of goals and that’s what happened Offaly.

“We’re a good footballing side, and Offaly last week, fair dues to them, didn’t allow us to play football. That has to be said, they stopped us, but (this time) we came out and we did the business”.