Broderick blows Garden away
CARLOW 1-17 WICKLOW 0-12
PAUL BRODERICK hit a total of 1-7 as Carlow recorded their fifth successive league win with victory over 14-man Wicklow at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday.
Turlough O’Brien’s side led from the first minute when Jordan Morrissey pointed. Wicklow stayed in touch, mainly through points from placed balls, with goalie Mark Jackson raising three first-half white flags.
They were trailing 0-6 to 0-4 on 22 minutes when a short kick-out went wrong and Darragh Foley played in man-of-the-match Broderick, who found the net.
By half-time Carlow led 1-8 to 0-7 and were the dominant force in the second-half, picking off some fine points from play. Wicklow struggled in attack and only two points came out of play from their starting six forwards.
On 53 minutes Wicklow’s plight became irretrievable when their centre-back Dean Healy received a straight red card for a rash tackle on Carlow’s Brendan Murphy.
Carlow now face two crunch ties, away to Antrim and home to neighbours Laois.
SCORERS – Carlow: P Broderick 1-7 (5f), D Foley 0-3 (1f), S Murphy 0-2, J Morrissey, B Murphy, E Ruth, S Gannon, D St Ledger (f) 0-1 each.
Wicklow: M Jackson 0-5, (4f, 1 ‘45’), D Hayden 0-4, (3f), J Stafford, R O’Brien, J Crowe 0-1 each.
CARLOW – R Molloy 6; C Crowley 6, S Redmond 6, C Lawlor 6; J Morrissey 7, D St Ledger 7, C Moran 7; B Murphy 8, S Murphy 7; S Gannon 7, D Foley 7, E Ruth 6; P Broderick 9, D O’Brien 6, J Murphy 6. Subs: M Rennick 6 for Crowley (55); D Walsh for O’Brien (58); C Lawlor for Broderick (58); B Kavanagh for Morrissey (59); J Clarke for B Murphy (65); M Furey for Ruth (70+2). WICKLOW – M Jackson 8; B Kennedy 5, J Snell 6, P Merrigan 5; E Murtagh 6, D Healy 6, R O’Brien 6; R Finn 6, J Stafford 6; C Healy 5, D Hayden 6, J Crowe 6; T Smyth 5, S Furlong, 5 J McGrath 5. Subs: P Burke 5 for Kennedy (30); P O’Toole 5 for Healy (43), M Kenny for McGrath (black card) (46); D Boothman for Stafford (63); G Murphy for Furlong (63); S Kavanagh for Merrigan (70+2)
REF – E O’Grady (Leitrim).