Carlow building on Ring of confidence

CARLOW senior hurling manager Eoin Garvey wasn’t surprised at his side’s dramatic victory over Down in Sunday’s Christy Ring Cup semi-final.

“The build-up to the game couldn’t have been more perfect,” he said. “Down gave us a right trimming last year and we weren’t given a snowball’s chance in hell of turning the tables.

“Also they had beaten Antrim well in the opening round and it was expected both counties would contest the final.

“While I’m the one in the spotlight now as the winning manager, the players deserve all the credit.

“They assumed ownership of the week leading up to the game and drove on from there. They were well up for that match.

“And that is a tribute to their commitment and dedication to hurling. We had been badly beaten by Kildare in an earlier round and they were subsequently well beaten by Antrim which surprised me, not so much the defeat, but the margin of it.

“We didn’t know what we were stepping into on Sunday, and things didn’t go right for us early on.

“Down hit us with a series of sucker punches in the second half but the players showed unbelievable self-belief in their ability and got their just reward.

“You saw on television what it meant to them at the final whistle.

“The feeling was incredible and it took us 15 minutes to get off the pitch such was the jubilation of both the players and our supporters. Getting to play a national final in Croke Park is absolutely brilliant.

“Sunday’s win will do wonders for the game in Carlow and should bring hurling on in a big way. It certainly will guarantee us plenty of support when we play that final.”

Despite the fact that there are only seven senior teams in the county, Carlow have been making tremendous strides in hurling in recent years, something that is not lost on Clare native Garvey.

“We’ve had three very good minor teams in the last five years, and despite being hockeyed by Kilkenny in this year’s Leinster final, a few of those lads will make onto the senior team in time.

“Coupled with that Erins Own (Bagnalstown) contested this year’s All-Ireland junior club final with Fr. O’Neills (from Cork) and while they were defeated, they gave a very good account of themselves against an exceptional junior side.

“Our county champions, Naomh Eoin, ran The Village (Kilkenny champions James Stephens) to a couple of points in the 2005/6 Club championship and in fact were a point in front with a few minutes to go.

“All that helps to raise the profile of the game and the more youngsters we can get playing hurling the better. Hopefully the county senior team can win the Christy Ring Cup because that would lift it to a completely new level.

“Put all those results together you could say there is a bit of a stir going on in Carlow hurling at the moment.

“Carlow will go into the final with the utmost confidence and it won’t be for the want of effort if we are beaten.

“I can sense an ambition among the younger lads to move up the hurling ladder, and they would be dragging some of the more experienced players with them in that direction which can only be good for the county.”