A competition which has delivered huge entertainment in recent years. Hawkeye Sidekick reflects on the opening round of the 2025 Joe McDonagh with two teams delivering standout performances.
Who impressed in the opening round last weekend?
Two teams stood out from the pack last weekend. Laois this season are an enigma. Their squad looks standout but their league relegation exposed big performance issues and defensively lapses.
Laois hit 3-21 from play during this nine point win over Westmeath. Tomas Keyes impressive and led with 1-8 overall. Ben Conroy, Paddy Purcell, and Jer Quinlan scored a total of 1-10. Westmeath struggled to cope with a dominant Laois middle third performance.
Carlow and Down looked a sensational fixture on a paper. If you had listened to our podcast leading up to the game, we felt it would be high scoring. It proved that way. Carlow delivered a very impressive performance by scoring 6-23. They won by a big margin over a gallant Down.
The inside full forward line threat for Carlow exposing Down defensively. Chris Nolan scoring 3-1 set the tone as the usual suspects contributed to a big home team score. 6-17 from play is a statement of intent for Carlow. They will travel to Kerry this weekend with good confidence.
Who should be concerned?
Westmeath’s season has been a struggle. A league campaign which saw several heavy losses and relegation to Division 2 was not ideal preparations. This nine point loss reversal to Laois yet more concern for Seoirse Bulfin and management team.
Laois with a super start grew into the contest. Westmeath struggled to handle Keyes and other match-ups struggled. 1-16 from play not enough but the side kept on going to the end. A nine point loss which looked more heading into the closing stages. Focus turns to Kildare for a must win encounter.
Kildare disappointed personally. A good league campaign but Kerry were compact and punished Kildare inaccuracies to nick an one point win in Newbridge. The conditions were tricky but Kildare tendency to dip in and out of games came out to the fore here.
Down and Ronan Sheehan will assess the Carlow loss with pragmatism. Carlow only last season played Kilkenny and secured a draw. Down saw first hand the levels required defensively to compete this season. I expect Down to challenge in the championship when more players come back from injury. Laois at home will focus minds though and another loss would be fatal for their promotion hopes.
What about Kerry?
You have to admire Kerry this season. They lost Mackessy to Kilkenny and several key performers departed the panel. That word ‘transition’ was bandied about but Kerry have got on with the job in hand.
It was not a classic in Newbridge last weekend but Kerry were competitive and got the job done late on. Nine points from placed balls pivotal in a 1-17 total. The scoring power will need to improve with Carlow coming to Tralee this weekend but a good win.
Padraig Boyle’s performances for the rest of the championship will be a gauge. They will indicate how Kerry perform for the rest of the campaign. A good opening round but as mentioned, better teams loom on the horizon.
Round Two Fixtures
| Home | Away |
| Down | Laois |
| Kerry | Carlow |
| Kildare | Westmeath |
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