In the Leinster senior hurling championship’s second round tie at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday, Dublin narrowly defeated Carlow with a score of 1-24 to 0-22. Despite being down 0-13 to 0-9 at the half, Dublin managed a turnabout, taking the lead in the second half.
Two significant incidents led to the shift of control. Firstly, Carlow’s Conor Kehoe almost scored a goal, but Dublin’s goalkeeper, Sean Brennan, successfully foiled the attempt with a brilliant dive to his left. This was followed by an unexpected goal from Fergal Whiteley in the 59th minute, who had initially seemed to be aiming for a point from the left.
Despite these setbacks, Carlow put up a commendable fight throughout, forcing Dublin into numerous errors and keeping the game relatively closely contested. Marty Kavanagh and Jon Nolan made significant contributions for Carlow, scoring six points and two white flags respectively.
After their unexpected lead, Dublin managed to remain ahead by five points, ensuring their victory. In the second half, only 0-9 were scored by Carlow, while Dublin’s unexpectedly successful goal solidified the win. Dublin’s superior balance across the field was a contributing factor to their success.
Dublin’s gameplay was not without flaws, however, as they made a series of mistakes including unforced errors and shooting a simple free over the side-line, providing additional opportunities for Carlow. Despite this, they were able to maintain control of the match, securing their win in the championship.
The final Dublin player roster included S Brennan, J Bellew, P Smyth, P Doyle, C Crummey, C Donohoe, E O’Donnell, M Grogan, C Burke, R Hayes, D Burke, D Gray, D Sutcliffe, C O’Sullivan, and S Currie.
Substitute players included D Power taking over Grogan at halftime, and F Whitley, who scored one goal and one point, replacing Hayes at the 42-minute mark. P Crummey, responsible for one point, took the place of Currie at 58 minutes in the game, while D Purcell, also scoring one point, came on for Sutcliffe at the 63rd minute. Lastly, J Madden substituted for O’Donnell also at the 63rd minute.
The Carlow team comprised of B Tracey, P Doyle, D Wall, N Bolger, J Kavanagh, who scored 13 times including 10 frees and one ’65’, K McDonald, F Fitzpatrick with a point to his name, joined by C Whelan and J McCullagh. J Nolan bagged three points and M Kavanagh, T Lawlor, C Kehoe, who scored double, and C Nolan and P Boland with a point each, also contributed.
Changes for Carlow included J M Nolan replacing Whelan at the 48-minute mark, R Coady coming in for J Kavanagh at 60 minutes, and F O’Toole for Fitzpatrick and S Treacy for C Nolan, both at the 65-minute mark. Overseeing the match was referee C Flynn from Westmeath.