Palatine players pictured in a huddle after their Carlow SFC semi-final victory over Éire Óg.
Carlow SFC semi-finals
PALATINE 3-10 ÉIRE ÓG 2-12
RATHVILLY 3-5 OLD LEIGHLIN 1-9
Rathvilly will meet Palatine in the Carlow senior football final in two weeks’ time after they saw off the challenge of Old Leighlin in Netwatch Cullen Park today.
The previous night, Palatine and Éire Óg played out a classic semi-final encounter with the former coming out on top by 3-10 to 2-12. It was a night to remember for Shane O’Neill who landed a 35 metre free in injury time to take the win.
At one stage midway through the first half the odds of a last minute score deciding the game would have been long. From the throw-in, Jamie Kenny was on the end of a good Palatine move and he found the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
The eventual winners added two further goals with Finbarr Kavanagh and Jack Deacy finishing from close range. Éire Óg regrouped with Ross Dunphy, Niall Quinlan, from frees, and Colm Hulton all raising white flags. At the interval, Palatine led 3-4 to 0-8.
While Palatine drew first blood in the second half with a Conor Crowley point from play, the tide turned when Quinlan found the bottom right-hand corner of the net. By the end of the quarter Éire Óg had levelled.
In the space of a few minutes it looked as if the game was set to elude Palatine when Ross Dunphy scored a second Éire Óg goal and they lost Conor O’Doherty to a second yellow.
Yet the fourteen finished strongly and three points on the trot from Conor Crowley, Andrew Kehoe and Ciaran Moran set up the dramatic finish and Palatine’s place in a decider for the second time in three years.
The following day, Rathvilly, who lost Padhraig Bolger to a straight red card after only five minutes also scored three goals. After being reduced in numbers, points from Kevin Murphy and Brendan Murphy eased the eventual winners into the lead. The former also struck for for a 19th minute goal. A Brandon Kelly three-pointer just before the half-time whistle saw Rathvilly lead 2-3 to 0-4.
On the restart, Conor Doyle drove forward and with the defence failing to get in a tackle the Carlow and Rathvilly intercounty player drilled the ball to the net. Old Leighlin had it all to do but they never managed to cause panic in their opponents. Mikey Bambrick scored a goal on 49 minutes but they never got in another telling blow which could have rescued the game.
So it will be a Rathvilly and Palatine final in two week’s time. The last time they met in 2016, it was Palatine who came out on top. Many of the same players who lined out that day will face each other again in an eagerly awaited contest.
