Kildare are defying the odds in Joe McDonagh Cup

LAOIS’S Joe McDonagh Cup campaign hit a serious speed bump on Sunday afternoon as Kildare pulled off another shock result in the competition and came away from Portlaoise with an 11-point victory.

To this point Laois have been flawless in dispatching Westmeath, Kerry and Down by double-figures without ever really breaking a sweat, but perhaps that is ultimately what caused Sunday’s downfall as Kildare provided an entirely different, and let’s be honest, unexpected challenge.

Despite their progress at underage level in recent years and Naas’s rise to prominence on the Leinster club scene, Kildare were still rank outsiders before a ball was pucked in this year’s Joe McDonagh Cup.

After an opening round loss to Kerry, The Lilywhites have gone on a rampage that very few predicted.

They defeated Westmeath which isn’t as impressive as it might have been even 12 months ago as Westmeath hurling is coming apart bit by bit, but the win over Carlow made people take notice and Sunday’s victory has firmly stamped Kildare as the newest challenger at this level.

Nonetheless, it was a brutal result for Laois and one that has now given rise to a serious challenge that wasn’t anticipated by many as they now have to travel to Carlow and win.

Many have been guilty in recent weeks of looking at that game and questioning what type of team Laois will put out given the buses to Croke Park will be booked once we get Kildare out of the way, but now everything rests on that game that was supposed to be a dead rubber.

Despite what we thought, the Joe McDonagh Cup is never easy and game’s like the one coming up this Saturday are the ones that players and supporters strive for in GAA, it’s a winner takes all do or die contest against a neighbouring county.

Laois’s last trip to Dr Cullen Park ended in NHL Division 2 success in 2024 having beaten the hosts relatively comfortably to clinch a rare trophy and they’ll be looking to thrive off of that this weekend and come away with another huge victory before looking to avenge the loss from Sunday as Kildare would await in the final.

Regardless of the quality of the opposition or where they are in their own developments, Laois showed an incredible level of ruthlessness in their opening three contests in this year’s championship and if one was to look at it optimistically, perhaps it’s better they got a wake up call on Sunday than in a potential final.

Sunday’s performance was poor, of that there is no doubt but the ceiling is much higher than what the O’Moore men showed on Sunday and unlike Kildare, they will know exactly what Carlow bring to the table.

Kildare were a relatively unknown entity to this group of players, but they’ve become more than well acquainted with Carlow since the inception of the Joe McDonagh Cup and while it is a challenge, it’s not a challenge that they haven’t already dealt with before.