Carlow manager Joe Murphy has welcomed the return of the Dioralyte O’Byrne Cup, describing it as a timely opportunity as he continues preparations for the new season.
Murphy, who served as Carlow’s interim manager during the 2025 Championship before being confirmed in the role on a permanent basis later in the year, sees the competition as an important early-season test for his panel.
Carlow begin their O’Byrne Cup campaign at home to Offaly in Eire Óg on Sunday, January 3rd, and Murphy believes the games could play a key role in shaping his squad ahead of the league.
“You need games before the league starts,” Murphy said. “Given tradition and history, Carlow is not the most attractive team in the world for counties at a higher level to look to play. So it can be difficult to get games together and organised.”
“It’s coming at the right time. You are guaranteed to get two matches against higher opposition, and that will tell us a lot before we have to make cuts and reductions to numbers,” he added. “That is never nice, as the whole group is working really hard.”
You can hear Joe Murphy’s interview in full on the KCLR Sport Podcast, available now across all major podcast platforms.
