Westmeath legend Dessie Dolan brought the curtain down on his brilliant playing career following Garrycastle's Leinster club SFC semi-final defeat to Ballyboden this afternoon.

The 40-year-old former All Star graced TEG Cusack Park one last time with a haul of 0-7, but couldn't save his side from a heavy defeat to the Dublin champions. Having announced after Garrycastle's recent Westmeath SFC final victory over St Loman's that this would be his final season, the significance of his 50th minute substitution wasn't lost on anyone as the crowd rose to give him a well-deserved standing ovation.

The RTE pundit will go down as one of Westmeath's greatest ever footballers and unquestionably their greatest forward. He made his senior debut for the Lake County in a National League game against Antrim in Casement Park in October 1998 and went on to star in the county's All-Ireland U21FC triumph the following year.

He helped the Westmeath U21s retain their Leinster title in 2000 and inspired the county to their first-ever Leinster SFC success four years later, ending 2004 with an All Star. 

With his beloved Garrycastle, he won eight county SFC medals and was also to the fore when they reached the All-Ireland club final in 2012, only to lose to Crossmaglen Rangers after a replay.

Fairwell to one of the greatest!#WestmeathLegend pic.twitter.com/5Vkc6dKItO

— westmeathgaaofficial (@westmeath_gaa) November 24, 2019

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