'You can't have wides in a final like we had'
The Carlow team stand for a moments silence before the Joe McDonagh Cup Final. Photo: Pat Ahern
Pat Bennett cut a frustrated figure when he arrived in front of the waiting media in a room underneath the Cusack Stand after the game. Laois deserved their win but he agreed with the suggestion that Carlow made it somewhat easy for their opponents over the seventy minutes plus whatever injury time was played.
“I think 23 wides says it all. We haven’t done that all year. We panicked a little on the ball today. In fairness to Laois they played two sweepers. They sat back deep. Then they broke. They scored 18 points from play. We scored 12. We didn’t hit the frees particularly well. Picky (Stephen Maher) did,” the Carlow manager articulated.
“That is the difference when you come to a final. You have to take everything which comes. What did we have? Three or four goal chances? I don’t know. Did they have a goal chance? You can’t have wides when you come to a national final like that.” Carlow scored four goals against Laois in the group game earlier in the season. They could have done it again on Saturday but this time vital scores which might have turned the game eluded the vanquished side.
Both Chris Nolan and Donagh Murphy had first half chances. James Doyle saw his screamed deflected around the face of the goal in the second half. Results can be decided by a matter of inches. This time those miniatures went against Carlow and Laois won.
“You are not going to win finals doing that but in saying that, look at the chances we created. They never gave up. I am so proud of those guys. Ok, we didn’t win but it was down to our shooting. It was more down to what we did than what Laois did.
The Carlow manager rejected a suggestion that the game lacked a level of intensity on the day citing stats to make his point.
“I don’t think Laois lacked intensity. Did we? I don’t know if we lacked intensity. If you are hitting 48 shots, there is no shortage of intensity there. Ok, if are hitting 22 then I can say, ok, we are not getting on ball. We had 48 shots on goal and if you watch the game here later (Dublin and Galway) and the game tomorrow (Munster final), if they have 48 shots on goal the other team won’t beat them.”
Bennett’s words also indicated he is acutely aware that Laois will be promoted to Leinster next year while Carlow will remain where they are for at least another year. He says the game of hurling, as it is administered now, is not serving the Joe McDonagh counties well.
“Kildare are back down again. They are not going to improve. If they were given the three years which Croke Park decided to give New York. If they got three years up there. Ok they would take beatings but next year they would take less beatings. The year after less beatings.
“If they were not able to stay there in three years, then they would have to go back down again. But give them a chance. Laois are gone up. They should get three years up there. Why are we throwing these guys back down again. The big thing is promoting hurling. That is what we are trying to do. We are talking about promoting hurling for 40-60 years. Still on the teams, the Tier 2 teams they are not improving. They can’t improve because you are not giving them this kind of exposure where they are playing with the top teams.
“You look at the average age. I have three under 20 for next year. I have eight from under 21. They are a really young side. There are a lot of guys who got Joe Mc experience this year that never played Joe Mc. Can I fault these guys? Not one inch. They are gutted inside. Of course they are gutted. They came to win. If you don’t win you are second, you are a loser. That is it. That is life.”
Laois had many contenders but scoring 1-6 from play in an All-Ireland final in Croke Park sees Cillian Dunne take the award. It was an extraordinary contribution for a young man who is in his inaugural year for Laois at this level.
The Laois goal from Cillian Dunne with 16 minutes to go gave Carlow a mountain to climb. They did narrow the gap to three but Laois found that little bit more in the locker to keep distance between the sides before they surged forward to victory.
The 22 wides for Carlow hurt them deeply. Not that the Laois defence were standing back and allowing the opposition a clear shot at goal. Great credit must go to the defence of the winning side who used two sweepers and gave Carlow’s marquee forwards limited space to get in their attempts on goal.
The season is over now for both counties. In recent years there had been a preliminary All-Ireland quarter-final for the Joe McDonagh Cup winners but this has been scrapped.
Next year, Laois will play in the Leinster championship and Carlow remain in the Joe McDonagh Cup competition.
