Allianz NHL Round 4
Carlow 3-20
Down 2-18
Carlow will return to Division 1 hurling for 2025 after a five point win against old foes Down at Netwatch Cullen with a work man like performance.
The win puts them through to the final regardless of the result in their last fixture against Kildare which is no harm given a growing list of injuries and it may allow for experimentation ahead of a hectic Liam McCarthy schedule to come.
The home side made a positive start and Jack McCullagh opened the scoring with a fine point from distance in the opening minute. The sides traded scores from frees and play but the first key major landed in the 7th minute when a charging run by Chris Nolan was halted illegally by the Down defence.
After chatting with his umpires, ref Sean Stack decided on a penalty and a black card. Marty stepped up to the penalty and struck it hard down the middle past the diving Stephen Keith to leave it 1-4 to 0-4.
Stack came in for a lot of very vocal criticism from the visitor’s management team and supporters of both sides throughout the game and some was not in the spirit of the game as we like to see it played.
The trio of Nolan's were moving well and contributed 0-9 from play over the course of the game and got some nice scores in the first half. Jon (0-5) was busy along with John Michael (0-1) in the half forward line while Chris (0-3) was having a great battle with John McManus on the edge of the square. Indeed, McManus’s departure midway through the 2nd half was a big blow to their defensive set up.
Scores were hard come by in this part of the game with both sides guilty of poor shooting and turnovers in the middle 3rd. Carlow pushed back and in some style with a cracking goal from James Doyle after a flowing move through the hands saw him power home from 14m out.
At 2-7 to 0-4 on the 27th minute, you would be thinking Carlow would ease to a comfortable victory but Down clawed their way back into things with some good scores from the likes of Donal Hughes and Tim Prenter which meant they closed the gap to just 6 at the break – 2-10 to 0-10.
Just before the halftime whistle Carlow lost the first of their trio though injury as John Michael Nolan pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury and he did not appear for the 2nd half.
Mouse opened the scoring with a point from a placed ball on the 37th minute but Carlow were outscored 2-2 to 0-1 in the next 11 minutes as Down surged back to tie up the game at 2-12 apiece. The 2 goals arrived in the space of a minute, and they revitalised the visitors no end.
The 1st was a long free which was delivered into the home square. It broke kindly to Daithi Sands who whipped it home from close range. The 2nd was a cool finish as he was found with a long diagonal ball, and he drilled home from 14m out. The blow of the goal was added to as Conor Lawlor become the 2nd injury casualty with a leg injury as he tried to close the gap to Sands.
The game was surging from side to side and it was testament to Carlow's attitude that they responded as we have seen them so often do. Big players step up and Mouse and Chris hit 2 points to push us back out in front on a scoreline of 2-14 to 2-12 on the 55th minute. We then suffered another body blow as James Doyle limped off with a muscle pull.
2 Down points in a minute, one a beauty from Liam Savage, tied the game again. Chris Nolan put us ahead again with a point on the run and the same player was instrumental in our 3rd goal. Nolan won a ball 45m out and surged forward making good use of Sean Stacks advantage to hit a cracking shot from 25m out that Keith could only parry out to a waiting Jake Doyle and the sub lashed it home from close range.
Fiachra Fitzpatrick opened his tally on the 62nd minute and it gave Carlow a 5-point cushion as we headed down the straight – 3-16 to 2-14.
Pearse Og McCrickard then hit 2 nice frees which sandwiched another from Prenter and this gave Down momentum, but Carlow are used to closing out big games and outscored the Mourne men down the straight by 0-4 to 0-1 with 2 from Kavanagh and 1 each from the Nolan brothers to seal a 5 point win.
Tom Mullally and his management team will be happy with the win and sealing promotion with 1 game to go. That’s what good teams do – see things out and tidy up loose ends. This will hopefully allow for some extra rest for some of the panel ahead of a league final (Easter weekend) and big Liam McCarthy games in late April.
The injuries though are mounting and another 3 today on top of a few more unavailable for this game leaves him worrying a little more than he would like. Hopefully the extra breathing room will allow these to heal and give Carlow a full hand ahead for these big games.
The visitors are still in with a chance of making the league semi-final and they might be able to slip into it with a win v Meath next weekend who are currently at the foot of the table.
Carlow: Brian Tracey; Paul Doyle, Conor Lawlor, Jack McCullagh, Tony Lawlor, Kevin McDonald, Niall Bolger; James Doyle, Fiach O'Toole; Conor Kehoe, Fiachra Fitzpatrick, Marty Kavanagh, John Michael Nolan, Chris Nolan, Jon Nolan. Subs: Jake Doyle for John ML Nolan (half time), Sean Joyce for Lawlor, Jack Kavanagh for James Doyle, Richard Coady for O’Toole.
Down: Stephen Keith; Matt Conlan, John McManus, Cormac McAllister, Tony Murray, Ruairi McCrickard, Conor Cassidy; Donal Hughes, Tim Prenter; Chris Egan, Liam Savagh, Pearse Og McCrickard, Daniel Toner, Eoghan Sands, Daithi Sands. Subs: Marc Fisher for McManus, Paul Sheehan for McCrickard, Phelim Savage for Toner, Aodhan Furlong for Egan, McCrickard for Hughes.
Carlow Scorers – M Kavanagh 1-7 (1-0 pen, 6fs), Jon Nolan 0-5, James Doyle 1-1, Jake Doyle 1-0, C Nolan 0-3, J McCullagh 0-1, JM Nolan 0-1, F Fitzpatrick 0-1
Ref: Sean Stack (Dublin).
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