The final round of group games in the Allianz National Hurling leagues are coming our direction this weekend and for Carlow it’s a very important one.
Colm Bonnar’s lads have not been defeated in the League to date although they have registered draws with Antrim and Kildare.
That draw with Kildare was crucial as it puts Carlow in the driving seat in terms of a league final spot.
Had they lost then it would have been very messy this weekend with Kildare very much in the mix, but the straight forward scenario that now presents itself is that a win would see Carlow qualify for the final.
Carlow Senior Hurling manager Colm Bonnar says the fact that Westmeath are out of contention come the final round of group games in the League this weekend proves how competitive Division 2A has been.
Speaking to KCLR ahead of Sunday’s game at home to Armagh, Colm says the Christy Ring Cup will be one of the most difficult competitions to win this year.
“When you see the likes of Westmeath who were possibly favourites to win out the competition and are the Division 2 League Champions at the moment, they are not going to make the top two so it just shows how competitive this Division 2 League has been.” said Bonnar.
Armagh provide the opposition on Sunday and they have only one solitary point to their name so far by virtue of a draw with London in Round 2.
Aside from a huge thumping against Westmeath, they haven’t actually lost their games by a huge pile every time with Kildare and Antrim having to work extremely hard to dispose of them.
You get the feeling that this will be the case on Sunday as well and they have quality in the Carville brothers and Ryan Gaffney up front.
Have they enough to beat Carlow?
I’m not so sure. But then again Carlow haven’t exactly been flawless so far either so they can’t afford to be complacent.
The other motivating factor for the players is that there are also places at stake for a potential league final so they should be absolutely chomping at the bit come Sunday.
We’ll have live commentary of Carlow v Armagh from 1pm this Sunday in Netwatch Cullen Park on our Carlow frequency and online here on KCLR Fanzone. This game is brought to you with thanks to Rea’s Department Store, Fairgreen, Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow.
