Dunbar treble downs Carlow
Hat-trick from Ballygarrett ace secures clash with Cats
WEXFORD CARLOW 3-16 1-12
CATHAL DUNBAR lit up Innovate Wexford Park on Wednesday with a sublime display of opportunism and finishing as his three well-taken goals knocked the stuffing out of a determined Carlow side and ensured a trip to Nowlan Park for the Bord Gáis Energy Leinster Under-21 hurling championship final against Kilkenny on July 5.
The home side didn’t play particularly well overall in the first-half as the ten wides might suggest, but they were still enjoying a healthy 2-6 to 0-5 advantage thanks to parts one and two of the Ballygarrett man’s treble.
And given that he has featured already with the Seniors this year in the Walsh Cup, he certainly did his prospects of being pushed up the pecking order no harm with a quality finish for his third goal in the 46th minute.
That was the score to finally kill off the Carlow challenge, as it left them trailing by 3-11 to 1-8 and with no way back.
Their race first appeared to have been run a little earlier after Wexford were able to introduce fresh legs at half-time in the form of St. Martin’s duo Rory O’Connor and Conor Firman who had been pre-occupied with the Leaving Cert. since the victory over Offaly.
It took O’Connor a mere 25 seconds to pick off a point from a Gary Molloy pass, and then Joe Coleman nailed a trio of frees between the 33rd and 37th minutes to suggest that the win was in the bag, with the gap widened to ten.
However, a Carlow side buoyed by their Seniors’ Christy Ring Cup triumph didn’t necessarily agree and, after Chris Nolan and Darragh Pepper swapped points, a burst of 1-2 from our neighbours gave the eventual victors something to think about once more.
Nolan converted two frees, and in between captain Seán Whelan popped a pass to Conor Foley who improvised under pressure to bat the ball to the town end net with a clever finish.
It all meant that the margin was back down to six entering the last quarter, but a Carlow wide from an over-hit Foley handpass led to the game-clinching goal.
Dunbar had availed of breaks from Darragh Hughes’ puck-outs for his first-half brace, but this time around he caught it cleanly and scorched clear of his pursuers before planting the ball in the Carlow net.
It was a brilliant strike, and it sealed the deal even though Wexford had to remain vigilant as Chris Nolan pulled back a point from a free before Hughes had to advance swiftly to deny Foley another goal chance.
Four Wexford points followed on the trot as their overall superiority shone through, with Joe Coleman (free and play), Darragh Pepper and Rory O’Connor doing the needful (3-15 to 1-9).
Kevin McDonald and Seán Brennan pulled back consolation points, with a Conor Foley goal attempt from a 20-metre free stopped in between.
Coleman brought his personal tally into double figures from a late free before Kevin McDonald closed the scoring for the losers who were game opponents for long stretches.
Their captain, Seán Whelan, moved out from corner-forward after the throw-in to pick up Joe O’Connor at midfield, leaving McDonald in a free role around the middle third while Brian Quigley stayed back to mind the Wexford house.
O’Connor was one of four changes from the quarter-final against Offaly, with Shane Reck, Sam Kelly and Darragh Pepper coming in while Michael O’Brien, Conor Firman, Rory O’Connor and Darren Codd were all on the bench this time.
McDonald got Carlow off the mark after just twelve seconds, with Joe O’Connor responding in the second minute from long range.
However, Wexford also shot three wides in the first five minutes which set the tone for a frustrating first-half when they certainly didn’t make the most of their chances. Their ten misses before the break were followed by a better shotsto-scores average thereafter, as just three second-half wides were recorded.
A couple of pointed Chris Nolan frees pushed Carlow 3-1 clear before Dunbar pounced for the first time in the eleventh minute.
Stephen O’Gorman broke a Darragh Hughes puck-out into this path, and that’s the only invitation he needed before driving a low shot past Damien Jordan in the Carlow goal.
Although Nolan levelled from another free, a run of four unanswered Wexford points between the 14th and 26th minutes pushed them 1-5 to 0-4 clear.
Joe Coleman availed of a Dunbar catch and handpass for the first before wing-back Gary Molloy intercepted a hurried Carlow clearance and returned it over the bar with interest.
An instinctive Coleman pull flew wide, and he also missed from the first free awarded to Wexford by Laois referee John O’Brien, formerly of Tipperary, in the 20th minute.
However, the big St. Martin’s attacker split the posts from play after a Sam Kelly lay-off before nailing a free at the third attempt four minutes before the break. That one arrived in odd circumstances as he had pointed from close to the right sideline before the referee brought play back and made him do it all over again from a placed ball.
While Chris Nolan stopped the rot for Carlow by knocking over a free, they were in more bother in the 29th minute after Kevin McDonald struck a wide.
Hughes took the route one option again from his puck-out, and the outcome was the very same as the break was latched on to by Cathal Dunbar who gave Damien Jordan no chance once again with a powerful high finish (2-5 to 0-5).
The elusive goalscorer was attracting a lot of attention, with Conor Foley the first of two Carlow men to be booked for fouling him before Joe Coleman punished the indiscretion to leave seven between the teams at the break.
If truth be told, this margin was a little flattering to Wexford given their struggles in putting the ball over the bar but, like in the Offaly game, the team blossomed on the re-start and ending the proceedings with a healthy winning margin.
The loss of Damien Reck continues to be keenly felt, but the overall panel appears strong given the telling impact made by the substitutes in both outings to date.
Of course, facing Kilkenny in their backyard is about the toughest route possible to winning a provincial crown, but recent favourable results between the counties at this level will ensure that the trip to Nowlan Park on Wednesday week will be made with high hopes.
Wexford: Darragh Hughes (Naomh Eanna); Brian Quigley (Rathnure), Darren Byrne (Blackwater), Shane Reck (Oylegate-Glenbrien); Rowan White (Glynn-Barntown), Aaron Maddock (St. Martin’s), Gary Molloy (Naomh Eanna, 0-1); Joe O’Connor (St. Martin’s, 0-1), Daire Barden (Fethard); Joe Coleman (St. Martin’s, 0-10, 7 frees), Sam Kelly (Crossabeg-Ballymurn), Harry O’Connor (St. Martin’s, capt.); Darragh Pepper (Rapparees, 0-2), Stephen O’Gorman (Taghmon-Camross), Cathal Dunbar (Ballygarrett, 3-0). Subs. - Conor Firman (St. Martin’s) for Barden (HT), Rory O’Connor (St. Martin’s, 0-2) for Kelly (HT), Jake Firman (St. Martin’s) for H. O’Connor (43), Darren Codd (St. Martin’s) for O’Gorman (46), Cormac Moore (Ballygarrett) for White (58), also Billy Dunne (Oulart-The Ballagh), Michael O’Brien (St. Patrick’s), Dillon Redmond (Rapparees), Oisín Foley (Crossabeg-Ballymurn).
Carlow: Damien Jordan; Andrew Casey, Ger Coady, Pádraig Coughlan; Garry Lawlor, Eoin Redmond, Adam Dunne; Kevin McDonald (0-3), Aaron Amond; John Murphy, Chris Nolan (08, 7 frees), Conor Foley (1-0); Cathal Tracey, Owen Roberts, Seán Whelan (capt.). Subs. - Jamie Wall for Lawlor, temp. (13-19), Seán Brennan (0-1) for Murphy (21), Wall for Lawlor, inj. (HT), Philip Connors for Tracey (43).
Referee: John O’Brien (Laois).