As the holiday festivities fade into the background, the Carlow hurling team is gearing up to shift their focus back to winning ways.
In a recent interview, manager Tom Mullally emphasized the importance of letting go of the holiday mindset and concentrating on the task – reclaiming their winning ways.
Mullaly acknowledged the learning curve the team faced in their previous game and stressed the significance of taking each match as it comes. “This is one of three competitions we’re in for the year. There was a lot of learning out of the game itself. Bit by bit, that’s all we can do, is take every game as it comes and try and learn and move forward and improve for the next day,” Mullaly expressed.
Reflecting on their recent performance against Wexford, Mullally acknowledged the nature of capitalizing on team errors in crucial moments. “If people capitalize on our errors, then that’s a credit to them. I think overall the result was probably fair, showing where Wexford is at. They’ve hit the ground running with Keith there, and it’ll be important probably for Hurley in general that Wexford hit the ground running this year,” Mullaly stated.
Despite a challenging start to the season, Carlow exhibited improvements compared to their previous defeat against Kilkenny. Mullally emphasized the need for constant improvement, acknowledging the team’s uphill battle against more established competitors. “The challenge for us is to try and make up that. Every mistake they’ll capitalize on. Teams who are moved intend to win Leinster titles or win the McCarthy titles. That’s at a different level. We’re trying to break into the ground floor there,” Mullaly explained.
With an awareness of the uphill climb ahead, Mullally expressed the team’s readiness for the challenge. “We’ll have to improve our game. But that’s the challenge, we’re all well aware of that and we’re up for it and we’ll go at it and take it from there,” he affirmed.
As Carlow faces the prospect of a turnaround, the question remains: can they bounce back from back-to-back defeats, or is it too little too late for this Carlow side?
Only time will tell, but the determination and resilience expressed by Mullally and the team suggest that Carlow is committed to overcoming the challenges and making strides towards a successful season.
Report by Scoreline.ie reporter James Quigley
