Antrim too good for much-changed Carlow
Colm Beck goes on a solo run with Antrim's Joe Maskey giving chase.
It was confirmed on Sunday. It would have taken a series of unlikely results for it to be any different but now Laois will be Carlow’s opposition in the Joe McDonagh Cup final in Croke Park on Saturday June 6th.
Over in Ruislip at the same that Carlow played out this fifth-round game at Corrigan Park in Belfast, the O’Moore side was clinching their place in the decider with a 1-29 to 0-19 win over London.
This was a no-win position for Carlow at the weekend. Already assured of their place after four wins out of four, management rested most of the team who figured in the earlier matches and fielded a young side but laced with experienced players.
It looked to be a good decision, but with John Michael Nolan having to leave the field in obvious distress in the first half it left a dark cloud over the squad at the end. It also left Carlow manager, Pat Bennett, scratching his head and wondering what they had got from this trip to Belfast.
“To be honest all I got was injuries. This is what we were afraid of. In a game like that we didn’t have a load to get out of it firstly,” he said.
Kyle Foley also required a lengthy treatment in the second half but the Myshall goalkeeper did finish the game.
Antrim went about their business in a professional manager. They had to assume they still had a chance of making the final until they heard otherwise.
Joseph McLaughlin registered an early point. Keelan Molloy and James McNaughton both scored two points each before a Ruairi Murphy 65 got Carlow off the mark on eight minutes. That placed ball came when Paddy Boland got inside the Antrim defence but did enough to deflect the Carlow player’s effort around the posts.
The away side were still in the game after 15 minutes but they were the authors of their own misfortune when the normally reliable Richard Coady was caught in possession near his own 45 metre line. Quick as a flash, Antrim pounced and McLaughlin ran forward and fired home.
“In fairness to the lads we gave away a couple of sloppy goals in the first half with the wind,” noted Bennett afterwards.
The second Antrim goal came on 24 minutes when Molloy found himself in the clear and his shot gave Kyle Foley no chance between the Carlow sticks.
Murphy was Carlow’s score-getter in that opening period but John Doyle also raised two white flags and midfielders, Eric English and Colm Beck were also on target. At half-time, the home side led 2-16 to 0-10. Yet the Carlow manager was not unhappy with the collective attitude in the second half.
“In the second half we dug in but John Michael is a worry. You could well do without that.” The visitors were hit by an early second half goal when Ruairi Donaghy broke through and shot home. With McNaughton adding a free, Carlow were facing disaster.
They found a way and when Jake Nolan and Conaill Fitzpatrick combined to put in Murphy, Carlow’s leading scorer on the day made no mistake for a tonic of a three-pointer.
Over the rest of the contest, Antrim still outscored the home side with James McNaughton giving an exhibition of point scoring from placed balls and play. Carlow’s Kevin Kavanagh had a goal chance but the Antrim keeper, Cormac McFadden saved well.
At the end, Carlow used four substitutes with the manager looking at the bigger picture for Carlow hurling.
“Look, everyone got to play Joe Mc. We want lads to put up their hand to be in the panel for the 26 in Croke Park. You are looking at the Ruairis (Murphy) and the Tadhgs (O’Neill). You have Conall (Fitzpatrick), Jake (Nolan), Colm (Kavanagh). They are all under 20 and they came on and did their bit.
“It is giving them a taste for what is there. We are trying to protect them. You are playing against teams who have 4-6 years,” he said.
Now Carlow will be back in the training field during the week. All eyes will be on the trip to the famous Jones Road stadium.
“To be honest all I know is that all the panel of 35 played Joe Mc this year and that is important. They all deserve that because they are putting in the same training, all working hard and we just have to get ready for two weeks-time,” stressed the manager.
J McNaughton 0-13 (10fs 65), K Molloy 1-5, J McLaughlin 1-1, R Donaghy 1-0, R McCambridge, P Boyle 0-2 each, G Walsh, C Cunning, S Walsh 0-1 each.
R Murphy 1-8 (4-65s 4fs), J Doyle 0-4, E English, C Beck, C Kavanagh 0-1 each.
Cormac McFadden; Ruairi McCormick, Stephen Rooney; Niall O’Connor, Oisin Donnelly, Joe Maskey, Gerard Walsh; Ryan McCambridge, Paul Boyle; Conall Bohill, Keelan Molloy, James McNaughton; Jack McCloskey, Conal Cunning, Joseph McLaughlin.
Ruairi Donaghy for McCloskey (11), Scott Walsh for Bohill (49), Rory McCloskey for Donnelly (55), Cormac McKeown for Boyle (59), Ben McGarry for Molloy (65).
Kyle Foley; Lorcan Doyle, Niall Bolger, Conaill Fitzpatrick; Tadhg O’Neill, Richard Coady, Paidi O’Shea; Eric English, Colm Beck; Jake Nolan, Ted Joyce, John Doyle; Paddy Boland, John Michael Nolan, Ruairi Murphy.
Colm Kavanagh for Nolan (22), Conor Carew for Boland (42), Kevin Kavanagh for Joyce (47), Jamie Wall for O’Shea (56).
Thomas Gleeson (Dublin).
