Two teams more accustomed to the preliminary pool meet in the first round with the safety net ready for one of them. Judged by league performances, the net might as well take both of them now to save time. But Carlow have done better in the championship than in the league in the recent past. There has been controversy over manager Pat Roe's stance on the O'Hanrahan's players, but the upshot is morale on the panel is good as a result of Roe's firm approach to the delicate matter of club-county relationships. Wicklow's Mark Carpenter and Alan Bowe are on the team - having pledged their co-operation to the panel earlier in the season. Wicklow didn't respond as well as hoped to the morale building O'Byrne Cup displays in January and their curtailed league campaign featured a couple of ugly whackings. In as much as a Carlow win meets the description, a surprise is on the cards.