Despite the below-par performance, Fitzgerald was keen to back his players

THE Laois senior hurlers suffered an opening round setback on Saturday evening as Carlow claimed a nine-point win in the Joe McDonagh Cup.

Speaking outside the dressing rooms in Netwatch Cullen Park, Laois manager Tommy Fitzgerald gave his overall thoughts on the contest.

“It wasn't the result or performance that we were preparing for over the last six months. We looked very jittery in the first half, I thought. The stats team were telling us that we had 13 unforced errors, handling errors, and spilling the ball. Decision-making was poor.

“You can do all the training in the world, and the first round of the championship is probably a different animal. We were poor in that first half. Started the second half well to bring it back to level, and the momentum kind of swung back then again,” he said.

Laois trailed by seven points at half-time before mounting a strong response after the restart, levelling the game with 25 minutes to play. However, they managed just five further points from there to the final whistle.

“That's it in a nutshell, yeah. It's immediately after the game so, obviously, we haven’t looked back at it, and there's just bitter disappointment in there and everybody's hurting now. It's tough immediately after a game now to process it,” Fitzgerald said.

Carlow struck for four goals across the 70 minutes plus, with two in each half, and while Fitzgerald acknowledged their attacking threat, he admitted Laois would be disappointed with how some of those scores were conceded.

“They have good inside forwards, but there's probably one or two of them we probably didn't help ourselves with now, to be honest. So, again, that’s from memory, looking back at it live, so we'll have to look at the video again,” he added.

Laois were also guilty of sloppiness in possession throughout, and Fitzgerald suggested that the difference in league standards may have been a factor, while stopping short of being definitive.

“That's just the reality. I don't know, maybe playing Division 2 hurling, it is a lower standard. There's no doubt about that. I thought Carlow were decent today, but again, we didn't help ourselves. We're very disappointed with how we performed,” he said.

Attention now quickly turns to next Saturday’s clash with Antrim, with Fitzgerald reiterating the importance of getting a result from the opening two rounds.

“It was always the way it was. You had to win at least one of the first two games, and that's the message for our own lads. We can't feel sorry for ourselves now. We're going to have to reset very quickly. It's all on the line now next Saturday evening,” he said.

Despite the below-par performance, Fitzgerald was keen to back his players, highlighting their commitment and calling for support from the Laois public.

“I've looked at more games and whatever else. We're aware of where our strengths are, and we're also aware of where our work-ons are. They're good lads, they come in every evening, and they give us their all. It's really, really important for the Laois hurling public as well. We have to get behind these lads next week. We can't go into a blame game or go into our shells. Everyone's disappointed. Nobody went out to get that result or that performance today. These are good lads, and they really love playing for Laois. They care about the jerseys. They know that they let themselves down today, and as a group, we did in terms of performance levels. We need to all pull together now because it's all on the line next Saturday,” Fitzgerald said.

Laois created scoring opportunities but struggled with efficiency, something Fitzgerald pointed to as a key issue.

“There were a lot of wides in the first half as well. I think we were 38% from play with our shooting, which again isn't good enough at this level,” he said.

While Carlow competed in Division 1B during the league, Fitzgerald maintained that the margin between the sides should not have been as wide, noting the return of several players for their opponents.

“They were missing a good few players in the league, and they got them all back this evening. We knew that, we knew who they had and who they didn't have. They had everyone back this evening; they're a decent team. There shouldn't be nine points between us; it's as simple as that, and we know that. You just have to take it; it's a sucker punch. There are two ways you can react. You can go into your shell and feel sorry for yourself, but we just have to come back and react the right way next week because there's too much that's gone into us now just to not do so,” he commented.

Fitzgerald also acknowledged the disappointment felt by supporters who travelled to the game.

“I'm sure there are so many people gone home this evening disappointed. Jesus, I'll be a Laois supporter all my life. I won't be in this role all my life, I tell you. I'd be the same as them. We all care about Laois, we all want the same thing. We're still in this competition. Look at the last two years, the last two winners lost their first-round games. We just have to bloody react the right way now and stick together, stay united, and just give an almighty performance next Saturday,” he said.

He also provided an update on injuries, with concerns over Lee Cleere and a likely prolonged absence for Cody Comerford.

Lee Cleere: “It's a bit of a worry. We'll know in the morning.” Cody Comerford: “It's going to be hard to see him come back for the Joe McDonagh. Great lad, he just does everything the right way. He's probably gone to a different level in terms of his game this year and everything else. That's just the nature of hurling, I suppose. In top-level sports, you're going to lose lads to injury along the way,” he said.

Fitzgerald concluded by praising Stephen ‘Picky’ Maher, who made his first championship appearance since June 2024 after coming on at half-time.

“He did well. He was just probably lacking a bit of match sharpness and fitness, really, more than anything. Picky is pure quality. We're probably a better team when he is on the pitch, no doubt about that,” Fitzgerald concluded.