Flashback: Dublin v Carlow - 2020 Allianz League clash

Our Senior Hurlers take on Carlow in the Allianz Hurling League this Saturday evening in Netwatch Cullen Park.

Ahead of the game let’s take a look at the meeting of the two sides back in 2020.

In all honesty, the first-half was probably best forgotten in terms of entertainment value.

Carlow led 0-03 to 0-02 after 18 minutes, with Marty Kavanagh converting two frees and John Michael Nolan adding a tidy point from play. Rian McBride responded with two scores for Dublin to get the boys from the capital up and running.

The visitors gradually edged in front and, with points from Oisin O'Rorke, Sean Moran and another from McBride, Dublin led 0-06 to 0-04 at the break.

It could have been more. Within a couple of minutes in the second quarter, Chris Crummey passed up two quick goal chances, over-carrying the first and dragging the second wide when a goal looked certain.

After the break, the Dubs upped the tempo and chipped away at the scoreboard. Substitute Paul Ryan made an immediate impact, firing over five points after coming on.

The points were at last starting to tally up, but the game would end goalless. Carlow keeper Damien Jordan produced a superb save from John Hetherton, while Oisín O’Rorke’s rebound drifted wide.

Jordan added two more point-blank stops but was forced off injured, giving young sub Ciaran Abbey his chance. He slotted in seamlessly and kept a clean sheet in his 26 minutes.

Dublin, meanwhile, pulled away, putting a poor first-half behind them, running out 11-point winners.

Dublin would go on to finish fourth in the league, while Carlow were relegated. In the Covid-affected championship that year, the Dubs were knocked out by Kilkenny in the Leinster championship and then had their year ended by Cork in the first round of All-Ireland qualifiers.

Carlow: Damien Jordan; Ross Smithers, Paul Doyle, Michael Doyle; Richard Coady, David English (0-01, 1f), Gary Bennett; Jack Kavanagh, Aaron Amond; John Michael Nolan (0-02), Marty Kavanagh (0-06,4f), Kevin McDonald; Ted Joyce, Paul Coady, Cathal Tracey

Subs: Sean Whelan for R. Coady (16 mins), Ciaran Abbey for Jordan (47 mins), Dean Tobin for Smithers (59 mins), Dara Tobin for P. Coady (60 mins), Tadgh Daly for Amond (69 mins)

Dublin: Alan Nolan; Paddy Smyth, Eoghan O Donnell, James Madden; Chris Crummey (0-02), Daire Gray (0-02), Sean Moran (0-02, 1f); Jake Malone, Rian McBride (0-04); John Hetherton, Donal Burke, Mark Schutte; Oisin O’Rorke (0-03, 3f), Ronan Hayes, Shane Barrett

Subs: David Keogh (0-02) for Schutte (h/t), Cian O’Callaghan for Barrett (h/t), Paul Ryan (0-05, 3f, 1' 65) for O’Rourke (49 mins), Alex McNeill for McBride (blood 63 mins), Fiontán McGibb for Burke (67 mins), Andrew Dunphy (67 mins) for Madden (69 mins)

Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford)