'Evan’s a winner'- Justin McNulty stands by Laois' Evan O'Carroll after penalty miss against Clare

Laois fell to their second defeat of the Allianz Football League Division 3 season, with Clare edging out the visitors by three points in a hard-fought clash at Ennis on Sunday.

Despite playing for the majority of the contest with 14 men, Justin McNulty’s side pushed their hosts all the way, leaving the Laois manager proud of the effort but frustrated by the outcome.

“There's a huge disappointment in the dressing room. The lads are devastated, they’re gutted because they put their bodies and souls into that performance. We asked them to show manliness, and by hell did they show manliness, especially in that second half. Bitterly disappointed, it's a game we could have and maybe should won, but we have to go up the road now with zero points. That's very hard for the fellas to take, given what they put into it. They put so much into it, players and management,” he said.

READ NEXT: 14-man Laois come up short against Clare in a wind-swept thriller in Ennis

The turning point came in the 22nd minute when Laois skipper Brian Byrne was dismissed following an incident that referee James Molloy discussed with his linesman. McNulty revealed afterwards that he has reviewed the footage and believes there are grounds for an appeal.

“I've seen the tape, I've seen the video, and it looks innocuous enough. I do think there might have been an accidental collision, purely accidental, and that's not a red card offence in anyone’s book. I hope that can be reviewed, rectified and corrected because Brian Byrne does not have a dirty bone in his body. He plays the game tough and hard, but he plays by the rules. It was tough, a big blow to the team, but the fellas to their credit, dug in and didn't let that derail them,” McNulty said.

In an effort to inject fresh energy into the contest, Laois introduced Jake Darcy and Darren Brennan at the interval, a move that paid dividends as the visitors increased the tempo after the restart.

“They made a big impact. They obviously have pace abound, and it was probably what we needed. The lads weren't doing anything wrong; the boys we took off. We just wanted more pace on the pitch, and they demonstrated that they have that. They gave us a big lift,” he added.

Evan O’Carroll once again found himself at the centre of key moments. For the second successive week, the forward saw a penalty opportunity go awry, his effort saved after striking the post against Sligo previously. Still, he contributed 1-5 from play and placed balls, and came close to forcing a draw late on with a free in the 69th minute. McNulty was quick to underline the long-standing value of his talisman.

“Evan's a winner, and of course, he's devastated. He's carried this team on his back for years. He’s not a one-man show by any means, but Jesus Christ, has he been a big performer for Laois for well over a decade. To come back from the injury that he had to experience was enormous, and for the performances he's given this year. We know Evan is a vital, vital player for Laois. We know he'll bounce back, and the strength of the character the man has is phenomenal. He's very, very disappointed, of course he is, that's natural and normal, and so is the whole group. There's a bit of processing time around this performance and this result, but there's no doubt it can be a spark to bigger things to come,” McNulty said.

The contest swung dramatically midway through the second half when both teams were reduced to 14 players, Clare’s Cillian Brennan receiving a black card in the lead-up to Laois’ penalty. During that spell, Laois transformed a two-point deficit into a three-point advantage before the game opened up in frenetic fashion down the stretch.

“I think the second half performance, in general, was immense. Before it was 14 on 14, our players were showing huge fight, huge manliness. It then did get into a bit of helter-skelter. There were a few turnovers that were unnecessary from both sides, but I think the thing that was most pleasing for us as a coaching and management team was the effort and the fight demonstrated by our guys. Jesus Christ, they were warriors. They died with their boots on out on the pitch; it was phenomenal. If they bring that week in, week out, that's never a guarantee. You've got to fight to make that happen in the preparation during the week, and then bring it on the day. You have to take your hat off to the players for doing that and showing that, showing their character, putting their hearts and souls and putting their bodies on the line like our players did in the second half, which was phenomenal, and very, very inspiring. It’s a performance they should be proud of. We're hugely disappointed in the result, of course, but the performance you have to take huge confidence from. The boys were hugely determined and passionate about giving a performance, and they did that,” he said.

Attention now quickly shifts to their next assignment, with Westmeath set to visit in six days’ time. The memory of last year’s heavy Tailteann Cup defeat, a loss that ended Laois’ 2025 season, will add further edge to the occasion.

“Westmeath turned us over big style last year in the Championship; they beat us by 14 points. We know they're a great team and they're well-managed and well-coached, and we know we're really up against it. We know we've got to be a lot better than we were today, and we know how tough it's going to be. We're excited about that possibility, we're excited that the battle is coming and we're looking forward to it,” McNulty concluded.