Carlow and Laois drew in the Joe McDonagh Cup at Netwatch Cullen Park. Photo by Laois GAA
Joe McDonagh Cup
Carlow 2-17 Laois 1-20
By Kieran Murphy at Netwatch Cullen Park
Laois qualified for the Joe McDonagh Cup final after they scored a late goal to edge out Carlow on points difference in this fifth round game at Netwatch Cullen Park.
It was as dramatic finish as it could possibly have been in what was always going to be a game of inches. Carlow will be kicking themselves.
With every player bar the Laois 'keeper gone forward, Padraig Delaney’s delivery from a 65 was inch perfect and James Duggan got the merest of deflections to deflect the sliotar over the line. With the puck-out came the final whistle.
Carlow had got off to a great start when Chris Nolan scored a fifth minute goal. The three-pointer put the home side four up. Laois responded with Tomás Keyes firing over a range of points from play and placed efforts.
It was then the turn of Carlow to hit a purple patch and Marty Kavanagh knocked over four frees in succession.
At the half-time break, Carlow led 1-9 to 0-11. Two minutes into the second half that lead went out to three points with Nolan and Kavanagh both raising white flags. Tom Cuddy came forward from his half-back position to fire over a Laois point.
Carlow keeper, Brian Tracey, had to be alert when he got in his hurl to deny Jer Quinlan when a Laois goal looked on.
Carlow’s second goal came from Paddy Boland coming towards the end of the third quarter. That looked as if it was going to be the crucial score. Laois dug deep. Both sides threw everything into the final quarter.
The home side had chances to go four clear in the closing stages but didn’t take them. Instead, the visitors forced that sensational draw which was enough to get them through to play Kildare at the expense of Carlow.
Scorers for Carlow: M Kavanagh 0-10 (7fs, 2 65s), C Nolan, P Boland 1-1 each, J Doyle 0-2, JM Nolan, F Fitzpatrick, Jon Nolan 0-1 each
Scorers for Laois T Keyes 0-14 (9fs, 2-65s), James Duggan 1-1, J Quinlan, P Delaney (f), T Cuddy, C Dwyer (f), A Dunphy 0-1 each
Carlow: Brian Tracey; Paul Doyle, Dion Wall, Tony Lawlor; Evan Kealy, Kevin McDonald, Jack McCullagh; Ciaran Whelan, Fiachra Fitzpatrick; Jon Nolan, James Doyle, Paddy Boland; Chris Nolan, Marty Kavanagh, John Michael Nolan.
Subs: Conor Kehoe for JM Nolan (52), Ted Joyce for J Nolan (65).
Laois: Cathal Dunne; Donnacha Hartnett, Lee Cleere, Diarmaid Conway; Tom Cuddy, Padraig Delaney, Ryan Mullaney; John Lennon, David Dooley; Aidan Corby, Charles Dwyer, Paddy Purcell; Jer Quinlan, Tomas Keyes, Ben Conroy.
Subs: Aaron Dunphy for Lennon (50), Mark Dowling for Dwyer (58), James Keyes for Quinlan (64), James Duggan for Conroy (65).
Referee: Caymon Flynn (Westmeath).
