PREVIEW: Laois face Carlow in mouth-watering Joe McDonagh Cup clash

The Joe McDonagh Cup returns this weekend with a familiar and fiery fixture as Laois travel to Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday evening to face Carlow in the opening round of the 2026 campaign.

Tommy Fitzgerald’s Laois side arrive into this year’s competition still carrying the pain of recent near misses, having fallen short in successive finals, losing to Kildare in 2025 and Offaly in 2024. 

Few fixtures in recent years have produced as much drama as Laois v Carlow, with their last two Joe McDonagh meetings finishing level in the most dramatic of circumstances.

In last year’s final-round clash in Carlow, the stakes couldn’t have been higher, with the winner set to advance to a Joe McDonagh Cup decider against Kildare. Carlow looked to have secured their place in Croke Park as they led by three points deep into injury time, only for Laois to strike a last-puck goal to snatch a draw, a result that sent them through to the final, where they were later beaten by Kildare.

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Then in 2023, under Willie Maher, it was Carlow’s turn to land the late blow, as a stoppage-time Marty Kavanagh penalty ensured another draw between the sides, a result that ultimately cost Laois a place in the final. Carlow went on to lift the Joe McDonagh Cup after extra-time against Offaly.

There has been little to separate the counties in recent years. Laois’ last big win over Carlow came in the 2024 Division 2 League final in Netwatch Cullen Park, while their most recent meeting saw Laois edge a Walsh Cup tie in January. Carlow, however, claimed the 2025 Division 1B league meeting by 2–26 to 0–29, a result that confirmed Laois’ relegation from the division.

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Laois' response to their Division 1B relegation was emphatic in 2026, bouncing straight back to Division 1B for 2027 after a flawless Division 2 campaign, winning all seven games, including the final against Kerry in Portlaoise on March 28.

With so little separating the sides historically, another tight encounter looks inevitable in Carlow on Saturday evening when referee Niall Malone throws-in at 6pm. You can follow all the live updates from 5.50pm on the Leinster Express/ Laois Live.