Irish A-lister actor a surprising attendee at dramatic GAA match between Wexford and Westmeath
IRISH ACTOR Jonathan Rhys Meyers was in attendance for the Leinster SHC match between Wexford and Westmeath.
The Cork actor is making a return to the big screen in the upcoming crime thriller 'Mercy'.
He will star alongside Jon Voight and Leah Gibson in this new action-packed thriller about the Irish mafia's takeover of a US hospital.
He got to see another thriller on Sunday as Wexford blew a 16-point lead to Westmeath and are now staring down the barrel of relegation.
The final whistle had barely blown when Wexford supporters suddenly realised their championship dreams for 2023 were over as Westmeath staged a remarkable second half comeback to fashion out a shock two point victory in this Leinster Round Robin Round 4 game at Chadwicks Wexford Park.
It was a shell shocked Wexford Park, the scene of so many great occasions in the past, as a second consecutive defeat sent Wexford out of this year's title race.
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Bringing their final round game with Kilkenny on Sunday next, more into the relegation category, rather than for a place in the All-Ireland series.
The result of which will be crucial depending on the outcome of Westmeath and Antrim.
It is interesting to evaluate this game for Wexford were leading by sixteen points at the interval, 2-15 to 0-5, but it was Westmeath who transformed the trend of play on the resumption, outscoring the homeside on a second half scoreline of 4-13 to 0-7, in one of the great championship comebacks for many a year.
As Westmeath set about ending Wexford's championship dreams it was the inside forward duo of Joseph Boyle and Niall O'Brien who were very much to the fore as they contributes 2-2 apiece, as the home defence collapsed under the eventual winners onslaught.
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Leading 2-15 to 0-5 at the interval, the home side despite being rather lacklustre in their approach still looked comfortable, for the midlanders failed to register a single score from play during that first 35 minutes.
But it still looked as if the home side were beyond Westmeath given the wide margin of their lead.
But with Tommy Doyle and Aaron Craig driving their side on from the half-back line, Westmeath gave an early indication of what was to follow.
Doyle pointed a free within two minutes of the restart, followed one minute later by a splendid Niall O'Brien goal, and when Doyle picked off two further points, one free, to reduce the deficit to 2-15 to 1-9 after forty-two minutes, one could see panic setting in on the home sideline.
After Lee Chin pointed a forty-third minute free, one felt it would settle the homesides challenge.
Still leading 2-19 to 1-12 after fifty-four minutes, Wexford were awarded a penalty after Rory O'Connor was fouled, but Jack O'Connor's weakly struck shot was comfortably saved by keeper Noel Conaty and the ball cleared to safety.
As Wexford started to panic, Westmeath sensed they could take something from this game.
Eight minutes from the end Niall O'Brien got on the end of a long Robbie Greville ball to find the corner of the net, leaving seven points separating the sides, 2-20 to 2-13.
But there was more to follow as Wexford struggled for scores.
Tall full-forward, Joseph Boyle capitalised on two high deliveries to the edge of the small square to fire home goals on sixty-eight and seventy minutes to give his side a 4-16 to 2-21 lead.
STAR MAN
After Eoin Keyes and sub Conor Hearne had exchanged points, it was the superb Niall O'Brien who pointed a seventy-fifth minute free to give his side a first ever championship victory over Wexford.
"It's a great day for Westmeath hurling. My mother lives just 25 minutes up the road from here, so I know what hurling means to Wexford, being a native.
''Look, the first half we simply did not perform, we did not get off the bus. It was embarrassing.
"We used those words with the players at half-time. We told them to park the first half, there was nothing we could do about it, but to go out and perform with pride in the second half.
'We got the start to the second half we required.
"The lads simply stepped their game up to another level, for we were first to the ball, showed a hunger and commitment that was missing in that first half.
"Now we must come back down for we have a huge game with Antrim next weekend, but we'll savour this victory."
For Darragh Egan there was disappointment.
"Look we were lacklustre, we cannot dress up a performance like that.
"We led by sixteen points at half-time but lost the second half by eighteen points.
"I was not even happy with that first half performance, we were lacklustre, now showing any fight or ambition.
"The confidence is low at the moment. We now have Kilkenny and we now realise what that game means.
"The players will have to stand up, they will need to look at themselves.
"Things happen when you are falling off a cliff, so we have a difficult week ahead."