Leinster SHC: Whitely goal for Dublin leaves Carlow’s blood bubblin’ after relentless effort

2024 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Round 2

Dublin 1-24, Carlow 0-22

Right, first off let us declare on behalf of  many die-hard Carlow hurling supporters that this to us was not a ‘moral victory’, this was a defeat, a chance let slip of nailing a statement victory in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.

Ok, many more may have left Dr Cullen Park on Saturday evening ‘happy’ that Carlow were not hammered out the gate but unlike last year’s preliminary quarter-final against the same opposition which was played in a carnival atmosphere a fortnight after the Joe McDonagh final and unlike the 2019 Provincial Championship meeting with Dublin at the same venue when a ‘moral victory’ was acceptable, a sizeable cohort really believed that the red, yellow and green could triumph.

Among that cohort was, most importantly, the Carlow players and management team and, you know, in a game of inches a goal chance at one end that was brilliantly saved and a point shot at the other that ended up in the net decided the issue.

Will get to those two decisive incidents later, first let us bring you two small match reports within the match report itself …

CARLOW 0-9, DUBLIN 0-3

17 minutes played and Carlow, hurling with real verve and tactical purpose, deservedly lead by six points, the home county peppering the Canary End posts, nine shots sailing between the posts, five more tailing wide.

Mouse got the scoring underway in the second minute, converting a close range free awarded for a foul on Chris Nolan, a second followed in the fifth minute, Mouse teeing up Ciaran Whelan who expertly found the range, three minutes on again Jon Nolan accepted a Tony Lawlor pass before pointing and less than sixty seconds later the white flag was waving again though there was a half-chance of a green as Paddy Boland’s rising shot cleared the crossbar, the scorer having been set-up by a Mouse catch-run and pass.

Another Paddy Boland shot was twarthed, the block conceding a ’65’ which Mouse flighted over in the 11th minute. 0-5 to 0-1 at that juncture, the Dubs lone reply a cheap concession when Donal Burke converted a free awarded against Jack Kavanagh for over-carrying.

Danny Sutcliffe, though, gave the visitors a foothold when pointing twice in the space of a minute, the first a great score from the right wing, the second a more straight forward effort.

Carlow were hassling and harrying to great effect all over the field, forcing the city men into errors. Then Carlow, to roars of approval from the home crowd in an estimated attendance of 1,500, shot four rat-tat-tat points, in the 14, 15th, 16th and 17th minutes, Chris Nolan piloting over the first after an astute Tony Lawler clearance, Mouse the second from a free secured by dent of Carlow’s swarm-tackling forcing a turn-over, Jon Nolan a delightful third following good work by Conor Kehoe and Mouse the fourth, a rousing score from play. 0-9 to 0-3, game on!

End of potted report No 1. Now we fast forward, speeding by the half-time situation which saw Carlow lead 0-13 to 0-9, speeding by the third quarter which saw Dublin finally level at 0-15 apiece in the 10th minute of the half, sneak two-up a couple of times before Carlow brought it back to parity at 0-19 apiece with 56 minutes played.

DUBLIN 1-5, CARLOW 0-3

That’s the scoreline for the closing quarter and significantly 1-3 of that Dublin 1-5 was provided by three substitutes including the games only goal when Fergal Whitely, under pressure, essayed a point shot from the stand side, the ball dipping short but winding up in the far corner of the net as the Carlow goalkeeper Ciaran Abbey was impeded by a hovering forward and his marker. There were half-hearted claims of square-ball and those who have seen footage say it was. But truth to tell if the roles were reversed and it was a Carlow ‘goal’, we would be furious if it was ruled out.

Those are the breaks, you have to roll with the blows but what made it doubly hard to take was that shortly before Conor Kehoe at the Deerpark End had cut in from the left wing a let fly for goal only to see the diving Cuala net guardian Sean Brennan dive and divert the ball around the posts.

Outscored 1-7 to 0-1 down the finishing straight in Salthill a week previously, Galway substitutes making a significant scoring impact, it was a case of history repeating itself as the opposition bench pilfered scores in the crucial last quarter.

CARLOW

1. Ciaran Abbey (Naomh Eoin, Myshall)

2. Paul Doyle (St Mullins)

3. Dion Wall (Ballinkillen)

4. Niall Bolger (Bagenasltown Gaels)

5.  Jack Kavanagh (St Mullins)

6. Kevin McDonald (Mount Leinster Rangers, Ballymurphy, Rathanna, Borris)

7. Tony Lawlor (Mount Leinster Rangers, Ballymurphy, Rathanna, Borris)

8. Fiachra Fitzpatrick (Mount Leinster Rangers, Ballymurphy, Rathanna, Borris) 0-1

9. Jack McCullagh (Bagenalstown Gaels)

10. Conor Kehoe (St Mullins) 0-2

11. Ciaran Whelan (Ballinkillen) 0-1

12. Jon Nolan (Mount Leinster Rangers, Ballymurphy, Rathanna, Borris) 0-3

13. Marty Kavanagh (St Mullins) 0-13 9f, 2 ’65’

14.  Chris Nolan (Mount Leinster Rangers, Ballymurphy, Rathanna, Borris) 0-1

15. Paddy Boland (St Mullins) 0-1

Subs:

John Michael Nolan (Naomh Eoin, Myshall) for C Whelan (48)

Richie Coady (Mount Leinster Rangers, Ballymurphy, Rathanna, Borris) for J Kavanagh (60)

Fiach O’Toole (Naomh Bríd, Old Leighlin, Leighlinbridge) for F Fitzpatrick (65)

Scott Treacy (Naomh Eoin, Mysall) for C Nolan (65)

DUBLIN:

1. Sean Brennan (Cuala)

2. John Bellew (Lucan Sarsfields)

3. Paddy Smyth (Clontarf)

4. Paddy Doyle (Naomh Barróg) 0-1

5. Chris Crummey (Lucan Sarsfields)

6. Conor Donohoe (Erins Isle)

7. Eoghan O’Donnell (Whitehall Colmcille) 0-2

8. Mark Grogan (Kilmacud Crokes)

9. Conor Burke (St Vincent’s) 0-3

10. Ronan Hayes Kilmacud Crokes)

11. Donal Burke (Na Fianna) 0-9 8f

12. Daire Gray (Whitehall Colmcille) 0-2

13. Danny Sutcliffe (St Jude’s) 0-3

14. Cian O’Sullivan (St Brigid’s) 0-1

15. Sean Currie (Na Fianna) 0-1

Subs:

Darragh Power (Fingallians) for M Grogan (h-t)

Fergal Whitely (Kilmacud Crokes) 1-1 for R Hayes (42)

Paul Crummey (Lucan Sarsfields) 0-1 for Currie (58)

Dara Purcell (Kilmacud Crokes) 0-1 for D Sutcliffe (63)

James Madden (Ballyboden St Enda’s) for E O’Donnell (63)

Referee: Caymon Flynn (Westmeath)

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