Mouse strikes late to deny Cats victory

14-man Kilkenny held in Carlow

BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR

SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship

Round 3, Netwatch Cullen Park

Carlow 1-20
Kilkenny 1-20

The 2024 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship continued its unpredictable nature last weekend with Carlow stunning neighbour’s Kilkenny to register their first point of the campaign courtesy of a late equaliser by Martin Kavanagh. The result leaves this year’s provincial table wide open after three rounds of action, with Dublin the main benefactors of The Cats inability to put Carlow to bed.

The Kilkenny management, players and supporters will have been scratching their heads for a few days following this performance, knowing that they will need to up the ante in the two games remaining, first up, Dublin tomorrow, and then another tricky fixture at home to Keith Rossiter’s Wexford a week later.

Three changes to the starting line-up saw Jordan Molloy, Darragh Corcoran and Killian Doyle come in for Richie Reid, Paddy Deegan and Tommy Walsh, respectively. The in-form Martin Keoghan got Kilkenny off the mark with a nice point from play after a couple of early wides from Billy Ryan and TJ Reid, misses that characterised much of the Noresiders afternoon at Netwatch Cullen Park, which would see them finish with 14 men and a staggering seventeen wides.

After Mossy’s opening score, came the first major of the contest. A lovely delivery out of the Cats defence from David Blanchfield was collected by Owen Wall. The O’Loughlin’s man burst clear of a couple of defenders, made a better angle for himself before firing an unstoppable shot past the returning Brian Tracey in the Carlow goal. The home side got up and running a couple of minutes later, when a well worked sideline was sent over the bar by Chris Nolan. Billy Ryan then fired over after good work from Glenmore’s Shane Murphy. Chris Nolan replied for the Barrowsiders, before a quickfire double from Owen Wall and Cian Kenny extended the visitors’ lead to five points. Again, the Carlow response was another fine point from Mount Leinster Rangers Chris Nolan.

Derek Lyng’s charges then hit a trio of scores without reply, Kenny and Wall from play, alongside a placed ball from TJ Reid. Playing against the breeze, Kilkenny were seven points ahead and looking primed for the expected victory, but how quickly things can change in a game of hurling. As Championship debutant Killian Doyle attempted to pass the sliotar out of defence, he took a bump from Chris Nolan and responded with a jab to the Carlow players ribs with his hurl. Dublin whistler Chris Mooney spoke with his umpires and issued the inevitable red card to the Emeralds man with 21 minutes on the clock. Martin Kavanagh fired over from the placed ball, the first of his 9-point haul.

TJ Reid popped over Kilkenny’s 9th point of the game from a free before the classy Fiachra Fitzpatrick struck over a beauty, the first of a two-point return for the MLR player. Once again TJ converted from a free which the home side cancelled out via a brace of place balls from Naomh Moling’s Kavanagh. Making the most of his first start in championship hurling, Owen Wall tagged on another tidy score which TJ added to from a free to make it double scores as the game entered stoppage time. Tom Mullally’s men made the most of these minutes, registering two further points, thanks to John Michael Nolan and that man Kavanagh to leave the home side trailing by five points at the short whistle.

Carlow made three changes for the second period, with Conor Kehoe, Ciaran Whelan and Paddy Boland entering the fray, while Derek Lyng sacrificed Billy Ryan to get a defender on the pitch to make up for Killian Doyle’s dismissal in the shape of Tommy Walsh. The first score of the second half came from the home side and it was another classy effort from Fiachra Fitzpatrick.

Kilkenny then wrestled back full control of proceedings with four scores on the trot, a brace from Conahy’s Tom Phelan and further efforts from Cian Kenny and Mossy. A second change by the visitors saw the Cats withdraw Jordan Molloy and send on Erin’s Own’s Conor Fogarty. The home side then mirrored their opponents and hit 4 scores in succession, thanks to points from Kavanagh, Kevin McDonald, Chris Nolan and sub Paddy Boland to reduce the Cats lead to just four points.

Then one of the points of the game, and it came from an unlikely source. Cian Kenny gave a pass to stand-in captain Huw Lawlor, who powered forward down the left side of the pitch before striking over an absolute beauty from distance. Glenmore’s Shane Murphy then added his name to the scoresheet with quality score to push the Cats lead to six points. Tom Phelan then saw his goal-bound shot saved by Carlow netminder Tracey who also prevented Mossy converting the rebound. The ever-reliable Kavanagh then sent over a pair of frees to make it a two-score game as the game entered its final ten minutes.

Despite being outnumbered by the travelling Kilkenny supporters, the Carlow faithful had given great backing to their side over the first hour, and the noise level was about to get a little louder. Fiachra Fitzpatrick sent a nice pass into Marty Kavanagh, who gave a lovely lay-off to the on running Conor Kehoe. His Naomh Moling teammate burst through and picked out Paddy Boland with a clever pass. Boland’s attempted shot was blocked by the diving Eoin Murphy, but Kehoe reacted quickly to finish to the Kilkenny net. A goal of major significance, crafted in South Carlow to leave Mullally’s charges just one point behind.

Tullaroan’s Mossy Keoghan then rifled over his third point of the day, but the Barrowsiders replied with two of their own from Kavanagh and Donagh Murphy to level matters as the Carlow supporters dared to dream. TJ slotted over another placed ball before dispatching a magnificent effort from halfway to nudge the Cats two ahead in additional time. Another of the Carlow subs, James Doyle pulled one back and to most it looked like it was going to be another valiant defeat for the team at the foot of the Leinster table.

Then came the final act of an intriguing contest. Carlow launched the ball forward, one last attack as the final whistle loomed. A foot race between Tom Phelan and Donagh Murphy was one by the Kilkenny player, but in winning it he went over the sideline. Possibly in an act of gamesmanship, the Conahy man threw the sliotar into the crowd, and as a result the resulting sideline cut was upgraded to a free. Step forward Marty Kavanagh. The St Mullin’s man struck his placed ball high, and it curled just inside the Kilkenny posts. All square in Netwatch Cullen Park. Final score, Carlow 1-20, Kilkenny 1-20.

Scorers for Carlow: M Kavanagh (0-9f), C Nolan (0-4), C Kehoe (1-0), F Fitzpatrick (0-2), K McDonald (0-1f), J M Nolan (0-1), D Murphy (0-1), J Doyle (0-1), J Nolan (0-1)

Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid (0-6, 0-5f), O Wall (1-3), M Keoghan (0-3), C Kenny (0-3), T Phelan (0-2) B Ryan (0-1), S Murphy (0-1), H Lawlor (0-1)

CARLOW: B Tracey; P Doyle, D Wall, N Bolger; T Lawlor, K McDonald, F Fitzpatrick; S Joyce, R Coady; J Nolan, C Nolan, M Kavanagh; J McCullagh, J M Nolan, S Treacy.

Subs: C Kehoe for S Tracey, P Boland for JM Nolan, C Whelan for Joyce (all ht), J Doyle for Coady (58), D Murphy for J Nolan (62)

KILKENNY: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, S Murphy; D Blanchfield, D Corcoran, K Doyle; C Kenny, J Molloy; M Keoghan, J Donnelly, T Phelan; B Ryan, TJ Reid, O Wall.

Subs: T Walsh for Ryan (HT), C Fogarty for Molloy (40), B Drennan for Wall (58)

Referee: Chris Mooney (Dublin)

SHERRY SAYS…

We did say that the 2024 Leinster championship was proving unpredictable and a little strange. That trend continued at Netwatch Cullen Park last Saturday afternoon. Derek Lyng will no doubt have been frustrated and possibly a little angry at his sides showing. Killian Doyle’s dismissal should have been the wake-up call, but that indiscipline, coupled with 17-odd wides left the door open and Carlow pounced. Credit to Tom Mullally’s outfit, but Tom Phelan shouldn’t have given Marty Kavanagh the chance to level matters, deep into additional time. Let’s hope the lesson has been learned.
Next up, Dublin, tomorrow evening in Parnell Park (throw-in 6pm). Another road trip, another potential banana skin. Micheal Donoghue’s boys in blue currently sit top of the table in Leinster and will take great confidence from this after three rounds of action.
Kilkenny and Dublin games are usually tense, close, hard-fought affairs, and tomorrow’s clash could well be more of the same. The players will need to shake themselves before running out in the Capital on Saturday evening. The prospect of defeat, ahead of a tricky home clash with the Yellowbellies is not something that Noreside Gaels want to contemplate. We need the real Kilkenny to stand up in Parnell Park. Let’s sharpen the claws Cats.