County title would be a consolation for Carter

IT SHOULD have been the sweetest of seasons for Charlie Carter, the perfect inter-county valedictory year. But with a bitter twist, it all went sour.

Nominated to captain Kilkenny by his club, Young Irelands, the reigning county champions, the Cats went on to retain their All-Ireland but it was Charlie’s team-mate DJ Carey who accepted the Liam McCarthy Cup.

Several weeks earlier, angry and disappointed, Charlie had quit the inter-county scene. It’s a decision he doesn’t regret but an outcome he’ll take to the grave.

Following that Charlie went back to the warm and welcoming arms of his club and this Sunday, has an opportunity to gain some measure of consolation for the year that’s been in it.

At Nowlan Park against O’Loughlin Gaels, Young Irelands will bid to retain the county title, with Charlie still playing a vital role up front.

“They’re a very good side, work hard for each other. They have four on the county panel where we have only one, and they don’t want for experience. They also seem to have it over us in recent years, beat us in the championship in 2000.”

In their semi-final, where if anything they were underdogs, Young Irelands had a big win over Graigue-Ballycallan. “That game was set up for us really. We’d met Graigue-Ballycallan in the final of the League and they gave us an awful hammering.

If we had any bit of pride in ourselves at all we weren’t going to let that happen again.”

Young Irelands have two major changes from last year, corner-back Cathal Fitzgerald out with a cruciate injury, veteran and former All-Star Pat O’Neill retired, losses any club could ill-afford never mind a parish as small as Gowran. Others have taken up the slack however, Charlie’s cousin Ollie playing brilliantly in a lethal full-forward line that also includes DJ Carey and Dick O’Neill. The outcome of this final could well hinge on that line, in fact. O’Loughlin’s have moved Brian Hogan from centre to full-back, and so far it’s been very successful.

Another key battle will be between Jack Carey on the 40 for Young Irelands and former Kilkenny All-Ireland-winning captain, Andy Comerford.

At the other end of the field, O’Loughlin’s will be looking once again to Martin Comerford to come up trumps, as he did all year for Kilkenny, as he did in the semi-final win over James Stephens.