EIRE OG'S quest for an All Ireland title is gathering steam again and if it ends in failure once more they are ready, it seems, to take their chances on that.
Their victory over Round Towers in Portlaoise yesterday puts them into another Leinster final - their fourth in five years.
The fact that we have missed out on two All Irelands keeps us going," said midfielder Hughie Brennan after the game but despite this missionary zeal, the Carlow champions still play on the edge, fiddling about for periods before cranking it up again.
They led by a point at the interval, 1-3 to 0-5, and it was only when Round Towers went ahead - for the first time - six minutes into the second half that they shook off their torpor and started to play for real.
The Kildare champions had looked capable of winning the game when wing forward Shane Daly scored the points that put them in front. They were not to score, however, for the remaining 26 minutes, and a performance that had been resilient up to then ended in humiliation.
Their troubles began with a Jody Morrissey goal four minutes after Daly's - second point and worsened rapidly when wing back Derek Maher was sent off after 46 minutes. Eire Og's Joe Murphy was stretched by a high tackle and a fracas ensued which petered out before it had a chance to get especially unpleasant. Referee Brian White sent Maher to the line when the dust settled.
Round Towers trailed by four points at this stage and had a clear chance of a goal when corner forward Sean Drea ended up one on one with John Kerins - the Eire Og, goalkeeper did well to block with his legs. The score remained 2-5 to 0-7 for another 12 minutes but a bland Round Towers attack could not erode the deficit.
Anthony Keating punched a point in the 58th minute. There did not seem to be enough time for another 2-2 but the Carlow champions launched a spell of carnival football, full forward Colm Hayden burying a shot beneath Michael Leavy and Murphy then arriving in a prairie of space to add a fourth long after Round Towers had raised the white flag.
The serious goals had come much earlier, the first superbly created after nine minutes. The sides were level on 0-2 when midfielder Garvan Ware took a short pass from Jimmy Dooley deep in defence. A long raking ball found Hayden on the right touchline. His breathtaking diagonal pass, right to left and maybe 40 yards long, dipped over corner back Fergus Hopkins and into the arms of Keating behind.
Two jinks later, the ball was in the net. Hayden can hardly have delivered a better pass in his career to date - and may not do so again.
The goal left Eire Og dictating the tempo and just when Round Towers looked like taking charge after half time, Morrissey materialised at the end of a move to slap them down again. He finished delightfully, stroking the ball past Leavy with the outside of his right foot.
