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Antrim's Donal Nugent celebrates their last-gasp draw at Netwatch Cullen Park. Antrim GAA

Nugent seals draw for Antrim with brilliant last-second goal while Conway inspires Kerry to big win in Westmeath

Conway scored 1-12 in Kerry’s 11-point win over 14-man Westmeath, while Carlow and Antrim produced another classic at Netwatch Cullen Park.

Kerry 2-19

Westmeath 0-14

KERRY MADE IT two wins from two in the Joe McDonagh Cup as they powered past hosts Westmeath, who were forced to play most of the second half with 14 men.

Shane Conway was typically the star of the show for The Kingdom, notching 1-12 of his side’s tally, while Shane Nolan bagged the other Kerry goal late on to rubber-stamp the visitors’ dominance with the extra man following a 40th-minute red card for Westmeath corner forward Niall O’Brien.

Up until O’Brien’s sending off for a straight-red offence, it had been a far closer encounter with Westmeath leading by a single point at the break — 0-10 to 1-6 — albeit having played the first half with a strong wind at their backs.

Indeed, the teams were level on four separate occasions even while Westmeath were down a man before the game turned into The Shane Conway Show, with his sidekick Padraig Boyle also scoring three points off the bench.

Kerry’s second victory in the competition was Westmeath’s second defeat, the hosts’ hopes of reaching a third McDonagh Cup final on the spin left in tatters.

Antrim 5-16

Carlow 2-25

Donal Nugent rescued a draw for Antrim with a superbly taken, last-gasp goal at Netwatch Cullen Park as the Saffrons and hosts Carlow shared seven goals, 62 points in total and, ultimately, the spoils.

It was probably a fair result in a game which ebbed and flowed throughout, each side having spells in which they gained and ceded control of proceedings.

Goals from Ciaran Clarke and Conor McCann helped the visitors to a slender 2-10 to 0-15 lead at the turnaround but Carlow fired two of their own, with inspired substitution Chris Nolan firing over 0-4 off the bench, as Colm Bonnar’s men seized the wheel late on.

Carlow led by three as stoppage time elapsed but Nugent produced an improvised finish to snatch a draw for Antrim, who were value for their share of the spoils.

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