Rathvilly manager John Smith is in no doubt that the sending off of Brendan Murphy had a major bearing on the outcome of the Leinster club SFC defeat to Rathnew.

The Carlow champions were leading their Wicklow counterparts by two points when they influential Murphy was shown what seemed a very harsh second yellow card at the start of the last quarter.

Rathvilly went on to score 1-04 in the remainder of the match and Smith stressed to the Carlow Nationalist that the loss of Murphy was massive.

"The sending off was a big turning point," said Smith. "It was coming to the end of what he had given us. We might have shifted him somewhere else.

"Actually, they played better in the second half, maybe we allowed them too."

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