Marty Kavanagh seals famous draw for Carlow against 14-man Kilkenny
Carlow players Conor Kehoe, left, and Ciarán Whelan after the drawn Leinster SHC match against Kilkenny at Netwatch Cullen Park. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
There were scenes of joy in Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday afternoon as a last-gasp Marty Kavanagh free sealed a famous draw for Carlow against their neighbours Kilkenny.
The free was a controversial one, with referee Chris Mooney upgrading a sideline after Tom Phelan threw the ball into the crowd but in many ways, this act of indiscipline was a symptom of Kilkenny’s day.
Sloppiness and carelessness were the hallmarks of their display after their championship debutante Killian Doyle was shown a red card in the 21st minute of the game.
The stadium almost erupted with ten minutes to go when a Conor Kehoe goal left just one point between the sides, and from then on, the fourteen men of Kilkenny suffered a complete systems’ failure.
They hit wide after wide down the stretch - in the end they hit 17 of them - but it was the way they made a hero out of Carlow's extra man Kevin McDonald that will really frustrate Derek Lyng.
Kilkenny’s use of possession was careless in the closing stages, and Carlow took full advantage.
Now, the Leinster championship is wide open with the three favourite - Kilkenny, Galway and Wexford - all having had their moments. After five games, it’s Dublin who are now on top of the table.
Martin Keoghan broke the deadlock for Kilkenny after three minutes on the back of early wides from Billy Ryan and TJ Reid.
Owen Wall showed all his pace and guile moments later, rounding his man Sean Joyce before firing a clinical finish past Carlow goalkeeper Brian Tracey.
Playing with the breeze at their backs, Chris Nolan got Carlow off the mark after a clever sideline from Marty Kavanagh.
With Carlow playing a sweeper, Shane Murphy had the freedom of the park down the other end and one of his many roving runs forward ended in a score for Billy Ryan.
The on-form Chris Nolan tacked on two more for Carlow, including a beauty in front of the stand before Owen Wall and Cian Kenny struck back for the Cats.
Kilkenny were guilty of some sloppiness in the early stages, in defence and in attack, and Derek Lyng cut a frustrated figure when Tony Lawlor found Chris Nolan in space for his third of the day.
Kenny responded for Kilkenny before Owen Wall continued to impress on his first ever Championship start. The O’Loughlin Gaels club-man hit 1-3 as he started to enjoy himself in that first half, but it was quite the opposite for Killian Doyle.
Lining out at wing back, the championship debutante could have no complaints when he was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Mooney after 21 minutes.
Doyle was guilty of striking Chris Nolan after the pair tussled on the Kilkenny 21, with Marty Kavanagh tapping over the subsequent free.
TJ Reid and Fiachra Fitzpatrick exchanged scores before Marty Kavanagh tacked on a brace of frees as Kilkenny’s off-colour display continued. TJ Reid obliged with two more frees before a fine John Michael Nolan point left the half-time score at 1-11 to 0-9.
The impressive Fiachra Fitrzpatrick got Carlow off the mark in the second half before Tom Phelan, Martin Keoghan and TJ Reid responded for Kilkenny.
Carlow manager Tom Mullally made three changes at the break and they had the desired effect, with Carlow going on to hit four-in-a-row to claw their way back into the game.
Kavanagh and McDonald notched frees before Chris Nolan and sub Paddy Boland raised white flags from play. Huw Lawlor and Shane Murphy got on the scoreboard for Kilkenny but much to the delight of the crowd, Carlow weren’t going away.
Kilkenny still led by five with fifteen minutes to go but it was Carlow rather than Kilkenny who came with the final quarter surge.
Marty Kavanagh instigated the goal with a clever lay-off to the onrushing Conor Kehoe. Kehoe sped through before laying off to Paddy Boland who was denied by Eoin Murphy. But it shook Kilkenny to the core when Kehoe finished off the rebound.
A brace of points from subs James Doyle and Donagh Murphy tied the game up subsequently. TJ Reid looked to have scored the winner for Kilkenny before, fittingly, Marty Kavanagh had the final say.
M Kavanagh (0-9f), C Nolan (0-4), C Kehoe (1-0), F Fitzpatrick (0-2), K McDonald (0-1f), J M Nolan (0-1), D Murphy (0-1), J Doyle (0-1), J Nolan (0-1)
TJ Reid (0-6, 0-5f), O Wall (1-3), M Keoghan (0-3), C Kenny (0-3), T Phelan (0-2) B Ryan (0-1), S Murphy (0-1), H Lawlor (0-1)
B Tracey; P Doyle, D Wall, N Bolger; T Lawlor, K McDonald, F Fitzpatrick; S Joyce, R Coady; J Nolan, C Nolan, M Kavanagh; J McCullagh, J M Nolan, S Treacy.
Subs: C Kehoe for S Tracey, P Boland for JM Nolan, C Whelan for Joyce (all ht), J Doyle for Coady (58), D Murphy for J Nolan (62)
E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, S Murphy; D Blanchfield, D Corcoran, K Doyle; C Kenny, J Molloy; M Keoghan, J Donnelly, T Phelan; B Ryan, TJ Reid, O Wall.
Subs: T Walsh for Ryan (HT), C Fogarty for Molloy (40), B Drennan for Wall (58)
Chris Mooney.
