Laois and Carlow set to do battle once again in the Joe McDonagh Cup

LAOIS hurlers travel to Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday for their opening game in this year’s Joe McDonagh Cup campaign, and will do so with degree of confidence.

They have recently rounded off a very successful National Hurling League campaign that saw them get promoted to Division 1B and beat Kerry convincingly in The Division 2 final.

The Joe McDonagh Cup has been both friend and foe to Laois hurling. There have been a few highlights, most notably winning the title in 2019, but then suffering back-to-back final defeats in 2024 and ’25.

Since the Joe McDonagh Cup was introduced in 2018, Laois have experienced both ecstasy and agony. Laois were among the inaugural participants when the Joe McDonagh Cup was launched, that in itself was not something they would be very proud of.

In that first season, Laois had their ups and downs but finished behind Saturday’s opponents Carlow and Westmeath.

The following year Laois participated with clear intent and renewed ambition. That ambition was realised when under Eddie Brennan, Laois were impressive throughout the campaign and rounded it off against Westmeath in the final played at Croke Park, winning on a 3 26 to 1 21 scoreline.

Even more important that the McDonagh Cup title was the fact that it brought with it promotion back to the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship. But the years that followed proved challenging. Laois just about survived at the higher level but never really looked like making the breakthrough.

In 2024 when Laois returned to the Joe McDonagh Cup and reached the final, facing neighbours Offaly in Croke Park. Despite Laois scoring 26 points Offaly’s eye for goals proved decisive, claiming the title by just three points.

For Laois, it was a bitter pill to swallow, so near and yet so far.

The following year Laois again reached the final, this time up against their other neighbours, Kildare who were seeking their first Joe McDonagh Cup crown. The 2 26 to 1 19 defeat left Laois runners up for the second year in a row.

Getting to the final guaranteed them a place in the All-Ireland Preliminary quarter-finals but neither was that a happy day out when they lost out to Tipperary on a 3-32 to 0-18 scoreline.

But back to Saturday, Laois and Carlow met as recently as January in the Walsh Cup Shield, Laois winning 3-14 to 2-12. Laois subsequently lost out to Kilkenny in the semi-final.

Their last Joe McDonagh Cup meeting was in round five of last year’s competition.

Since they were first paired in the Joe McDonagh Cup seven years previous, Laois and Carlow had produced many great exciting games. Carlow prevailed that day and went on to claim the first title.

Last year the neighbours convened once more at Laois Hire O’Moore Park, this time the stakes were just as high. A big attendance packed into the stand in anticipation of another close encounter. They were not be disappointed, the game ending in a draw Laois 1-20 Carlow 2-17.

The draw was enough to send Laois into their third Joe McDonagh Cup final, leaving Carlow out in the cold in the process.

Laois felt that bitterness in 2023 when an injury time penalty for Carlow at the same venue effectively ended Laois’s chances of progressing to the final that year.

Next Saturday it is Carlow who will have home advantage for the 6pm throw-in from where Laois will hope to cross the River Barrow with a win under their belts.