Laois break Carlow hearts with last-gasp leveller to book Joe McDonagh final spot
Laois are headed back to the Joe McDonagh Cup final after they broke Carlow's hearts deep into stoppage time at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday.
James Duggan got the faintest of touches on Pádraig Delaney's 65 with the last play of tense local derby, levelling the game at Laois 1-20 to Carlow's 2-17.
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Laois scored a late leveller against Carlow in dramatic fashion to seal a Joe McDonagh final place
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Kildare will face Laois in the final after the overcame Down on Saturday afternoon
And that meant the sides were level on points and so Laois advance to the final in a fortnight thanks to their superior scoring difference.
The contest also started with a goal, this time for Carlow's Chris Nolan, and they soon led by four points.
Tomás Keyes led the way for Laois as they rallied to get back to within a point by half-time, but a second Carlow goal, this time for Paddy Boland, put the home side on the front foot again.
Keyes kept knocking over dead ball scores however, racking up 0-14 in all, and that left the O'Moore County close enough to deliver their late, killer blow.
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The challenge facing Laois in that final will be to upset a Kildare team that is full of momentum and confidence.
The Lily Whites needed a fourth win in succession to reach their first ever Joe McDonagh final and they did that in style at St. Conleth's Park, slashing through Down by 1-26 to 1-14
The first eight points of the game were equally shared but Kildare hit the turbo and left Down trailing their slipstream over the next 20 minutes, taking a 1-14 to 0-7 lead into the break.
Cathal McCabe, Simon Leacy and Cian Boran were dominant around the middle third, Daire Guerin set up David Qualter for a goal – Qualter finished with 1-13 – and the result was settled long before Shea Pucci struck a late consolation goal for Down.
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Ironically, the only team that beat Kildare in this competition was Kerry, who have now been relegated to the Christy Ring Cup after Westmeath hammered them by double scores in Tralee, 2-28 to 1-14.
Niall O'Brien hit an early goal for Westmeath who were 1-15 to 1-3 ahead before a couple of Pádraig Boyle points before half-time gave Kerry the faintest sliver of hope.
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Five minutes into the second half Killian Doyle had two more points as he moved on towards a tally of 0-15, teenager David O'Reilly added 1-1, and Kerry's relegation was inevitable.
New York's inclusion in the Lory Meaghar Cup was controversial as the Exiles were seen by many as far too strong for the bottom tier of the intercounty hurling structure.
A 1-29 to 2-13 win over Monaghan in yesterday's semi-final in Mullingar won't do anything to dispel those rumours.
AJ Willis, part of a strong Tipperary contingent on the New York side, scored 1-9 while David Mangan hit 0-10, with former Galway star Johnny Glynn orchestrating play once he moved outto midfield.
New York will now play Cavan in the final on Saturday in Croke Park.
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