Carlow senior hurling team manager Tom Mullally. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile
Joe McDonagh Cup
Carlow 3-27 Kerry 0-17
By Paul Brennan at Austin Stack Park
Two goals in the first half, and a third after the interval, were icing on a 19-point win for Carlow away to Kerry in a one-sided Joe McDonagh Cup contest that keeps the Leinster side unbeaten and on track for a place in the final of the competition.
With Carlow having 21 points to spare over Down in the first round, and Kerry barely scraping victory away to Kildare, there was a concern for the home side in Tralee that this one could really get away from them, and so it proved.
Playing with a stiff breeze in the first half, goals from Conor Kehoe and Paddy Boland helped the visitors to a 14-point lead at the interval, 2-15 to 0-7, and there was no way back for Kingdom from that.
Chris Nolan got Carlow off the mark with a third minute point, and they were four ahead by the sixth minute before Dylan Moriarty’s 20-metre free raised Kerry’s first flag.
A Carlow goal inevitably arrived when Martin Kavanagh’s solo run split the Kerry defence, and he offloaded to his club mate, Kehoe, who shot low across Louis Dee’s goal to make it 1-5 to 0-1.
A second goal from Boland in the 16th minute made it 2-9 to 0-2, before Kerry scored their first point from play from midfielder Paudie O’Connor.
Kavanagh converted a brace of points from play, and Moriarty brought his total for the half to five points (all from frees), while Chris Nolan (2) and Boland notched Carlow points to leave them 14 ahead at the break.
The second half played out to its inevitable conclusion, with Carlow throttling back on their intensity but still able to win the second period by five points, helped by a third goal – scored by Chris Nolan in the 51st minute.
Carlow scored three of the first four second half points, which put paid to any faint glimmer of a Kerry comeback, and Nolan’s green flag made it 3-20 to 0-11 with 20 minutes to play.
Kerry’s silver linings came from three points apiece from play from Luke Crowley and sub Shane Nolan, while goalkeeper Dee denied the visitors another two goals with super saves on James Doyle and Ted Joyce.
Carlow played the last minute with 14 men after Kavanagh was dismissed on a second yellow card, but they move on with two wins from two games, with Kildare next to visit Netwatch Cullen Park. Kerry’s route doesn’t get any easier as they are away to Laois in the third round.
Scorers for Carlow**:** M Kavanagh 0-8 (4fs), C Nolan 1-5, P Boland 1-2, C Kehoe 1-1, J Nolan 0-4, T Joyce 0-2, J Doyle 0-1, K McDonald 0-1 (s/l), C Whelan 0-1, J McCullagh 0-1, J Treacy 0-1
Scorers for Kerr****y: D Moriarty 0-6 (6fs), L Crowley 0-3, S Nolan 0-3, O Maunsell 0-2, P O’Connor 0-1, T Doyle 0-1, S Brosnan 0-1
Carlow: Brian Tracey, Paul Doyle, Dion Wall, Páidí O’Shea, Evan Kealy, Kevin McDonald, Jack McCullagh, James Doyle, Fiachra Fitzpatrick, Jon Nolan, Conor Kehoe, Ciaran Whelan, Chris Nolan, Martin Kavanagh, Paddy Boland.
Subs: Ted Joyce for J Doyle (55), Jack Treacy for C Kehoe (58), John Michael Nolan for C Nolan (65), Fiach O Toole for P Boland (68), Richard Coady for C Whelan (70).
Kerry: Louis Dee, Kyle O’Connor, Flor McCarthy, Dara Kearney, Darragh Shanahan, Kevin Goulding, Seánie McGrath, Paudie O’Connor, Dáithí Griffin, Tom Doyle, Killian Hayes, Luke Crowley, Darragh Conway, Oisín Maunsell, Dylan Moriarty.
Subs: Rory Mahony for D Griffin (52), Shane Nolan for S McGrath (55), Seanie Brosnan for D Moriarty (60), Luke Rochford for K Hayes (68), Niall Mulcahy for L Crowley (68).
Referee: Caymon Flynn (Westmeath).
