Leinster SFC preliminary quarter-final: Carlow 1-7 (1-1-5) Wicklow 2-15 (2-3-9)
The skies darkened and dumped tonnes of water on Cullen Park just as the lady in the Carlow jersey was starting into the national anthem.
It turned out to be the forewarning of a washout for freshly minted Division 4 champions Carlow, who never really got going at all.
And so it’s back to Aughrim next Sunday for a Leinster championship fixture between Wicklow and Dublin that will be a repeat of last year’s quarter-final tie.
Dublin got a real scare that day and Ger Brennan is clearly taking no chances this time because he was in attendance on Sunday and doing his due diligence.
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Goalkeeper Mark Jackson top-scored with six points, a haul that included back-to-back two-pointers late in the first half and that ignited last season’s Tailteann Cup semi-finalists.
Goals in the second half from Pádraig O’Toole and Oisín McGraynor helped Wicklow to turn the screw and to gain some revenge on a Carlow side that defeated them in the Division 4 promotion race.
Losing to Longford in the seventh round ultimately cost Wicklow promotion and manager Oisín McConville said there was a period of soul searching before their championship opener.
But they delivered impressively, despite being without injured stars Malachy Stone, Kevin Quinn, JP Nolan and Darragh Fee. They are well primed to give the Dubs their fill of it again.
“I think they’ll be coming down angry this time actually because obviously they’ve been relegated, written off, people are saying they are not the team they were,” said McConville of Dublin.
McConville’s own ire was raised in the build-up to this opening tie by the comments made by Carlow manager Joe Murphy regarding non-native managers after his county’s Division 4 title win. Murphy made a strong point of being delighted to have won the league with a home-grown management team.
“I was probably taken aback by it,” said Armagh man McConville. “Maybe I took it personally. Maybe I thought it was directed at me. Maybe I’m paranoid at this stage and coming off the [league] defeat the last day to Longford, I suppose you pick on everything [for motivation]. But no, I wouldn’t be happy with that [opinion]. We all have to go and find our opportunities in other places.”
Murphy, speaking to the media before McConville made his comments, cut a frustrated figure. He said fatigue, both physical and mental, caught up on his team after the spring success in Division 4.
“That’s as flat as we have been,” Murphy said with a shrug. “Sometimes you’re just playing on adrenaline and I think our adrenaline just ran out today.”
Carlow didn’t score from open play between Colm Hulton’s third-minute two-pointer and Jamie Clarke’s fortunate 48th-minute goal, which looped in over Jackson’s head.
They also lost captain Mikey Bambrick to a second booking five minutes from time.
CARLOW: B McCarron; P McDonnell, J Phiri, C Byrne; N Roche, D Curran, P Bolger; E Ruth, M Furey; C Doyle, C Hulton (0-1-0), M Bambrick (0-0-1); R Dunphy, L Walker, L Gavin (0-0-2f). Subs: J Murphy for Roche (42 mins) J Clarke (1-0-0) for Gavin (45), C Blake (0-0-2) for Walker (48), K Nolan for Ruth (57), A Amond for Dunphy (66).
WICKLOW: M Jackson (0-3-0, 2tpf); T Moran, C Ó Gallchobhair, G Fogarty; C Deering, M Nolan (0-0-1), J Carlin; D Healy (0-0-2), J Kirwan; C O’Brien (0-0-1), J Hardy, P O’Toole (1-0-1); O McGraynor (1-0-1, 1f), M Kenny, E Darcy (0-0-3f). Subs: E Murtagh for Ó Gallchobhair (53 mins), J Prendergast for Deering (55), S Murphy for Kenny (63), C Baker for Kirwan (70), L O’Neill for Carlin (71).
Referee: S Lonergan (Tipperary).
