Stephen Poacher blasts Carlow minors’ critics
The same minor squad rebounded last night with a 0-10 to 0-10 round robin draw against Laois having led by three points towards the end and Poacher, coach to Turlough O’Brien’s senior footballers, was keen to add some context to the story.
“They drew 10-all after being absolutely trawled disgracefully through the media last week for a bunch of 16-year old lads. Getting destroyed because someone was trying to fulfil his own self needs and his own popularity. It’s disgusting what goes on sometimes.
“I would love if some of these people would actually come and take a session and look at the work these lads do. Those young lads that got terrible press for their performance against Kildare, I watched them play the end of last year in Newry at U15 level and they beat Down by 10 points.
“They played a wee structured system, they had a defensive midfield and they got kick-outs away quick. They were brilliant kicking the ball into their inside men. They were strong and they were dominant. Twenty-two of the panel is underage next year.
“They were playing a Kildare team that was a full year, mentally and physically, bigger than them. Kildare beat Wexford the week before by 15 points. So, the lads only got a couple of points. So what? They are building for next year.”
Meanwhile, Carlow’s seniors have no injury worries on the back of their Leinster quarter-final defeat of Kildare last Sunday. They will have a full squad — though Brendan Murphy is still set for a summer in the USA — when they face Laois in the last four at Croke Park on Sunday week.
