The Leinster U20 Football Championship kicked off last night. Carlow’s journey began with a showdown against local rivals Laois at the LOETB Laois Centre of Excellence.
Despite a promising start, Carlow faced disappointment as they succumbed to a 3-8 to 10-point defeat against their resilient neighbors. Simon Rea, Carlow’s manager, expressed his frustration, stating:
“You don’t always get what you deserve. I felt so sorry for the boys because I thought the way we went at the game from the start, we were very brave, pressed the kickouts, tried to put Laois under pressure, built a good lead for ourselves, could have been a couple of points more or even up at that stage. Then we conceded a sucker punch of a goal at half time and then another one after half time. But to be fair, the lads responded and dug in and got it back to a point and then we conceded another goal and then we get a black card. At the end of the day, it’s a tale of probably them being clinical and us not being clinical and that’s all that was between the two teams.”
Meanwhile, Wicklow emerged triumphant with a commanding 12-point victory over Wexford. Kildare, the defending champions, asserted their dominance with a solid 1-15 to 11-point win against Longford, setting the tone for their title defense.
In other Group 1 clashes, Louth secured a hard-fought victory against Offaly, prevailing with a narrow margin of 1-11 to 2-6. Meanwhile, Dublin showcased their strength with a comfortable 1-15 to 6-point triumph over Westmeath.
In parallel, the spotlight shifts to the Leinster Minor Football Championship, with Carlow gearing up to commence their campaign tonight. The Barrowsiders are set to clash with Wexford at Netwatch Cullen Park.
See also: Live Football: Carlow v Wexford, Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Football Championship Round 1