Championship 2014: Carlow

Manager: Anthony Rainbow (2nd season).Titles: Leinster 1 (1944); All-Ireland 0.2014 league: Lost five, drew one and won one to finish 8th in Division Four.Odds and ends: All-Ireland 5000/1; Leinster 500/1.Bookies say: First round Leinster and qualifier first round exits.What the bookies said in 2013: Lose to Westmeath and exit first round qualifiers. 2013 championship: Lost Leinster first round to Westmeath 1-10 to 3-15 and qualifier first round to Laois, 0-12 to 3-13.First outing: v Meath, Dr Cullen Park, 15th June.

Carlow’s Brendan Murphy
Carlow’s Brendan Murphy

The decline here has been precipitous, having got to the last four in Leinster in 2011. Never terribly interested in the league but even by those unengaged standards, propping up the entire four divisions is a very poor outcome. Anthony Rainbow hasn’t been helped by the work-related absence of Brendan Murphy.


Last good day: Three years ago Carlow defeated Louth to reach their first provincial semi-final since 1958. They then lost to Wexford.