Palatine 2-08 Tinryland 2-06

Palatine are the Carlow senior football champions as they survived a scare to seal a two-point success over Tinryland at Netwatch Cullen Park.

The victors did it the hard way, having looked to be cruising at one stage, as a score-filled final quarter for the opposition atoned for a drab enough opening 45 minutes.

At the start, Tinryland predictably opted for slow build-up, spraying passes around the pitch and generally playing keep ball.

They looked to be settling best when Maurice Lawler found the posts from an awkward angle. Palatine hit back and Shane O'Neill equalised. Palatine then snaffled the kick-out and Jamie Kenny found the net from close range to take the ascendancy.

Tinryland looked as if they had absorbed the shock of conceding an early goal when Diarmaid Walshe converted a free and landed a point from play. The game was turned on its head towards the end of the second quarter when Palatine broke quickly for another three-pointer.

Bryan McMahon made ground and was tripped in the act of shooting. Tomas Sheehan converted the resultant penalty to give his side a 2-04 to 0-03 interval lead.

Further Palatine points after the restart from Ciaran Moran and Conor Crowley pushed them into what seemed like an unassailable advantage.

But that wasn't the end of the story.

They were firstly undone when they failed to deal with a Walshe 45 and the ball ended up in the back of the net. They also lost David Reid to a straight red card and suddenly the eventual winners looked vulnerable.

That was even more true when Cormac O’Brien added a Tinryland point and then Walsh reduced the margin to three with another from play, putting the outcome in doubt.

Shane O’Neill’s point was needed for Palatine but once again a high ball wasn’t dealt with and Shane Redmond punched home for a goal to put just a point between the teams.

Tinryland were unlucky not to find an equaliser when Paul Broderick’s difficult free on the right sailed just wide.

In reply and sensing they needed something more, Palatine worked the ball up field.

Player of the Match Conor Crowley, won the free and converted it himself to edge his side over the line to bridge a six-year gap to their last senior title back in 2016.

Palatine: Craig Kearney; Jack Brennan, Stephen Reilly, Gavin Healy; David Reid, Conor Lawlor, Ciaran Moran (0-01); Jason Kane, Finbarr Kavanagh, Tomas Sheehan (1-00 pen), Shane O’Neill (0-03 1f), Bryan McMahon; Jamie Kenny (1-00), Joshua Egan (0-01), Conor Crowley (0-03 1f).

Subs: Tomas Kenny for Sheehan (49), Conor Doherty for Brennan (49), Andrew Kehoe for J. Kenny (58), Cillian Duff for McMahon (58), Cathal O’Neill for Egan (63).

Tinryland: Cathal Gaffney; Danny Moran, Shane Redmond (1-00), Conor Ryan; Conor O’Toole, Jonah Dunne, Niall Lowry; Barry Power, Diarmaid Walshe (1-04,1-00 - 45, 1f); Matthew O’Toole, Cormac Walshe, Conor McGrath; Conor Brennan, Paddy Regan, Maurice Lawler (0-01).

Subs: John Murphy for Ryan (h/t), Cian Lawlor for Power (h/t), Paul Broderick for Lawler (32), Cormac O’Brien (0-01) for Brennan (40), Mark Mullen for M O’Toole (55).

Referee: Jonathan Murphy (St Mullins)