Kildare revive Joe McDonagh Cup hopes with six-point win over Carlow
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Kildare got their Joe McDonagh Cup hopes back on track with this fully deserved win over Carlow at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday.
The eventual winners came into the game as underdogs but they quickly belied the amateur pundits as they pulled the Carlow defence apart at will. Marty Kavanagh may have given Carlow an early lead with two converted frees but the home side was quickly reeled in.
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Short turn around for Dowling and Kildare are tough McDonagh Cup final victory
Joe McDonagh Cup hurling final: Kildare 2-26 Laois 1-19 Brian Dowling has revealed that he questioned his ability to manage Kildare after they lost to Kerry in the opening round of this season's Joe McDonagh Cup. Seven weeks on, he's celebrating surely his greatest achievement in management after capturing the tier two title and, in the process, ending the county's 21-year absence from the Leinster SHC. The Lilywhites produced a stunning second-half performance at Croke Park to see off favourites Laois. Sub Jack Travers and Jack Sheridan grabbed the goals while free-taker David Qualter finished with 0-13. It was a giant collective effort from a team that appeared noticeably fitter as the game wore on. Cian Boran stood tall at the centre of a brilliant defensive effort. Kildare's immediate reward for the maiden win is an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final clash with Dublin next weekend. They will then spend the winter months preparing for a first Leinster SHC tie in 2026 since they were beaten by Westmeath in 2004. All of which seemed highly unlikely after the defeat to Kerry back in mid-April. That was the county's ninth defeat in the McDonagh Cup from nine games across three different campaigns. Kerry ended up being relegated while Kildare, who only won the Christy Ring Cup last year, went on to win the title though a few 'home truths' needed to be dished out first. "It's incredible, I can't describe the dressing-room after that Kerry match," said Dowling who previously managed Kilkenny camogie and St Kieran's College hurling teams to All-Ireland successes. "I've been in a lot of dressing-rooms down the years, losing All-Ireland finals and stuff, but that honestly was one of the worst I've ever been in. I didn't know what to say to the lads. It was hard to say anything. I questioned my own ability as a manager, you know, where do you go? What do you do? "We actually met the lads on the Tuesday night and we did no video analysis, like we normally would. We just had a hard chat. We told a few home truths between ourselves, as players and management. Then we just went back at it. "We actually trained hard afterwards that night and it was the best thing that ever happened." Five wins later - including two against Laois - Kildare have achieved one of the greatest triumphs in the county's hurling history. They were actually fortunate to be level with Laois at half-time, 0-11 to 0-11, considering all the point attempts that favourites Laois butchered. When Ben Conroy bundled home a Laois goal seconds after the restart, leaving the 2024 runners-up three points ahead, and with momentum on their side, it all looked ominous. Kildare's response, just like that turnaround after the Kerry game, was truly impressive, outscoring Laois by 2-15 to 0-8 from there on to win by a 10-point margin. The Travers goal in the 60th minute summed up all that was good about Kildare on the day. Darragh Melville defiantly stripped a Laois defender of possession after a short puck-out and worked the ball across to Sheridan whose blocked shot was slammed home by Travers. Sheridan netted himself five minutes later, shrugging off a jersey pull as he darted by Laois defender Ryan Mullaney and shot low past Cathal Dunne. Only for goalkeeper Dunne's excellence earlier, it would have been three goals for Kildare. Dunne pulled off a brilliant double save to thwart firstly Cathal McCabe and then, somehow, Sheridan. Kildare sub Muiris Curtin punched the air in delight when he fired over in the 68th minute, sensing the job was done. Only once has a side coming from the Joe McDonagh Cup won an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final, when Laois beat Dublin in 2019. But if Kildare can repeat this wholehearted performance in Newbridge next Saturday, they'll have a chance. "We'll do everything we can to be ready for it," said Dowling. "But look, obviously six days is difficult. If you had two weeks that would be a lot better and would give lads a chance. "These lads are going to be very sore. There were a couple of them, I won't name names, but how they got on the pitch at all I don't know. We really had to patch them up. We had serious injuries coming into this game but we got through it." Laois will play Tipperary in Portlaoise next weekend, probably on Saturday too, though manager Tommy Fitzgerald reckons the short turnaround is a 'joke'. "It's all very raw at the moment but we will regroup in a day or two and it's important that we represent the jersey and the county as well as we can the next day," said Fitzgerald. "But it's a bit of a joke doing it next Saturday, to be honest with you." Scorers for Kildare: D Qualter 0-13 (11 frees, 1 65); J Sheridan 1-4; J Travers 1-1; G Keegan 0-3; J Burke 0-2; S Leacy, P Dolan, M Curtin 0-1 each. Scorers for Laois: T Keyes 0-6 (5 frees); B Conroy 1-2; P Delaney (2 frees), J Keyes, P Purcell, PJ Scully (1 free) 0-2 each; L Cleere, FC Fennell, J Duggan 0-1 each. KILDARE: P McKenna; R Hogan, R Boran, D O'Meara; P Dolan, C Boran, S Leacy; D Guerin, C McCabe; C Dowling, J Sheridan, D Qualter; D Melville, J Burke, G Keegan. Subs: J Travers for Dowling (59); M Curtin for McCabe (64); C Kehoe for Melville & L O'Reilly for Dolan (69); O Lynam for Keegan (72). LAOIS: C Dunne; F C Fennell, J Walshe, C Comerford; P Delaney, L Cleere, D Conway; A Corby, J Keyes; P Purcell, T Keyes, D Dooley; M Dowling, J Quinlan, B Conroy. Subs: A Dunphy for T Keyes (54); P Dunne for Comerford (60); J Duggan for Dowling (62); R Mullaney for Walsh (64); PJ Scully for Conroy (66). Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary).
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Brian Dowling leads Kildare to Joe McDonagh Cup glory against Laois after questioning his own ability
BRIAN DOWLING said he questioned his own ability to manage Kildare at the start of this season's Joe McDonagh Cup. Now he's celebrating his greatest achievement in management after winning the competition and getting Kildare back into the Leinster SHC. 2 The Kildare team celebrate after they claimed their first ever Joe McDonagh Cup against Laois on Sunday 2 Kildare manager Brian Dowling admitted he questioned his own ability at the start of the 2025 campaign The Lilywhites produced a stunning second-half performance to see off favourites Laois and capture a first ever Joe McDonagh Cup title. Sub Jack Travers and Jack Sheridan grabbed the goals while free-taker David Qualter finished with 0-13. It was a giant collective effort from a team that appeared noticeably fitter as the game wore on. Cian Boran stood tall at the centre of a brilliant defensive effort. Kildare's immediate reward for the landmark win is an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final clash with Dublin next weekend. read more on gaa And they will spend the winter months preparing to return to the Leinster SHC after a 22-year absence. All of which seemed highly unlikely after Kildare's Round 1 defeat to Kerry only seven weeks ago. That was the county's ninth defeat in the McDonagh Cup from nine games across three different campaigns. Kerry ended up being relegated while Kildare went on to win the title though a few 'home truths' needed to be dished out first. Most read in GAA Hurling Dowling, who previously managed Kilkenny to two All-Ireland camogie titles, said: "It's incredible, I can't describe the dressing-room after that Kerry match. "I've been in a lot of dressing-rooms down the years, losing All-Ireland finals and stuff, but that honestly was one of the worst I've ever been in. RTE GAA pundits argue over who started halftime row as Cork eventually topple Limerick in Munster epic final "I didn't know what to say to the lads. It was hard to say anything. I questioned my own ability as a manager, you know, where do you go? What do you do? "We actually met the lads on the Tuesday night and we did no video analysis, like we normally would. We just had a hard chat. "We told a few home truths between ourselves, as players and management. Then we just went back at it. "We actually trained hard afterwards that night and it was the best thing that ever happened." Five wins later - including two against 2024 runners-up Laois - Kildare have achieved one of the greatest triumphs in the county's hurling history. They were actually fortunate to be level with Laois at half-time, 0-11 to 0-11, considering all the point attempts that favourites Laois butchered. And when Ben Conroy bundled home a Laois goal seconds after the restart, leaving the 2024 runners-up three points ahead, and with momentum on their side, it all looked ominous. Kildare's response, just like that turnaround after the Kerry game, was truly impressive, outscoring Laois by 2-15 to 0-8 from there on to win by a 10-point margin. The Travers goal in the 60th minute summed up all that was good about Kildare on the day. Darragh Melville stripped a Laois defender of possession after a short puck-out and worked the ball across to Sheridan whose blocked shot was slammed home by Travers. Sheridan netted himself five minutes later, shrugging off a jersey pull as he darted by Laois defender Ryan Mullaney and shot low past Cathal Dunne. Only for goalkeeper Dunne's excellence earlier, it would have been three goals for Kildare. Dunne pulled off a brilliant double save to thwart firstly Cathal McCabe and then, somehow, Sheridan. Kildare sub Muiris Curtin punched the air in delight when he fired over in the 68th minute, sensing the job was done. Only once has a side coming from the Joe McDonagh Cup won an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final - when Laois beat Dublin in 2019. But if Kildare can repeat this wholehearted performance in Newbridge next Saturday, they'll have a chance. Dowling said: "We'll do everything we can to be ready for it. But look, obviously six days is difficult. If you had two weeks that would be a lot better and would give lads a chance. "These lads are going to be very sore. There were a couple of them, I won't name names, but how they got on the pitch at all I don't know. "We really had to patch them up. We had serious injuries coming into this game but we got through it." Kildare 2-26 Laois 1-19 Kildare: P McKenna; R Hogan, R Boran, D O'Meara; P Dolan 0-1, C Boran, S Leacy 0-1; D Guerin, C McCabe; C Dowling, J Sheridan 1-4, D Qualter 0-13, 11f, 1 65; D Melville, J Burke 0-2, G Keegan 0-3. Subs: J Travers 1-1 for Dowling 59, M Curtin 0-1 for McCabe 64, C Kehoe for Melville 69, L O'Reilly for Dolan 69, O Lynam for Keegan 72. Laois: C Dunne; F C Fennell 0-1, J Walshe, C Comerford; P Delaney 0-2, 2f, L Cleere 0-1, D Conway; A Corby, J Keyes 0-2; P Purcell 0-2, T Keyes 0-6, 5f, D Dooley; M Dowling, J Quinlan, B Conroy 1-2. Subs: A Dunphy for T Keyes 54, P Dunne for Comerford 60, J Duggan 0-1 for Dowling 62, R Mullaney for Walsh 64, PJ Scully 0-2, 1f for Conroy 66.
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Kildare deliver breathless second-half display to clinch Joe McDonagh Cup and set up date with the Dubs
Joe McHugh Cup final: Kildare 2-26 Laois 1-19 The highs and lows of hurling. Only seven weeks ago, Brian Dowling questioned his ability as a manager after Kildare's Joe McDonagh Cup round one defeat to Kerry . They had been desperate for a win to end their awful record in the competition but slipped to a ninth defeat in nine games across three campaigns. Now, Kerry are coming to terms with relegation while Kildare are the champions. A remarkable mid-season turnaround was capped with a terrific final performance at Croke Park. In truth, Kildare were fortunate to be level with Laois at half-time, 0-11 to 0-11, considering all the chances the O'Moore County failed to take. READ MORE When Ben Conroy bundled home a Laois goal seconds after the restart, leaving the 2024 runners-up three points ahead and with momentum on their side, it looked ominous. Kildare's response, just like that turnaround after the Kerry game, was very impressive. From there, they outscored the favourites by 2-15 to 0-8 to win by a 10-point margin. Jack Sheridan celebrates after scoring Kildare's second goal. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Substitute Jack Travers and Jack Sheridan grabbed the goals, while free-taker David Qualter finished with 0-13. But it was one giant collective effort from a team that appeared noticeably fitter as the game wore on. Cian Boran stood tall at the centre of a brilliant defensive effort. Kildare will host Dublin in an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final next weekend, while Laois, beaten in the final for the second year in a row, will play Tipperary. All of which seemed highly unlikely after that Kildare loss to Kerry. 'That was one of the worst dressingrooms I've ever been in,' said Dowling. 'I didn't know what to say to the lads. It was hard to say anything. I questioned my own ability as a manager, you know. [You're thinking] where do you go from here? What do you do?' I don't know how many times we went wide on the near post; it definitely hurt us — Tommy Fitzgerald Kildare met up on the Tuesday evening afterwards, traded 'a few home truths between ourselves, as players and management' and resolved to do better. Five wins later, they have achieved something special. Next year, they will compete in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 2004. That will take Dowling, a former Kilkenny senior player and county camogie manager, into direct opposition with his own county. 'I definitely didn't think of that when I took on the job,' he said with a shrug. Kildare's Rian Boran in action with Fiachra C Fennell of Laois. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Laois will despair at back-to-back final defeats. They will inevitably focus on their wasteful first half when they hit 11 wides, dropped five score attempts short and had a shot at goal saved. It left them on level terms with Kildare when they should have been well ahead. 'I don't know how many times we went wide on the near post; it definitely hurt us,' said Laois manager Tommy Fitzgerald. The Conroy goal straight off the second-half throw-in, following a great run by Paddy Purcell, left Laois three clear and presented an opportunity to impose their authority. [ Cork prove sky's the limit after conquering Munster with display of ferocious intensity Opens in new window ] But they were outplayed and outfought from there on by a well coached and ravenous Kildare team that produced a stunning second half. Travers's first goal summed up Kildare's desire as Darragh Melville furiously turned over a Laois defender and passed to Sheridan, whose shot was blocked out to Travers to strike home. Sheridan grabbed the second goal himself, shrugging off a jersey pull and darting beyond Ryan Mullaney before rifling low to the net. KILDARE: P McKenna; R Hogan, R Boran, D O'Meara; P Dolan (0-1), C Boran, S Leacy (0-1); D Guerin, C McCabe; C Dowling, J Sheridan (1-4), D Qualter (0-13, 11f, 1 65); D Melville, J Burke (0-2), G Keegan (0-3). Subs: J Travers (1-1) for Dowling (59 mins); M Curtin (0-1) for McCabe (64); C Kehoe for Melville, L O'Reilly for Dolan (both 69); O Lynam for Keegan (72). LAOIS: C Dunne; F C Fennell (0-1), J Walshe, C Comerford; P Delaney (0-2, 2f), L Cleere (0-1), D Conway; A Corby, J Keyes (0-2); P Purcell (0-2), T Keyes (0-6, 5f), D Dooley; M Dowling, J Quinlan, B Conroy (1-2). Subs: A Dunphy for T Keyes (54 mins); P Dunne for Comerford (60); J Duggan (0-1) for Dowling (62); R Mullaney for Walsh (64); PJ Scully (0-2, 1f) for Conroy (66). Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary).
