Blake brilliance puts Éire Og into decider
CHRISTOPHER BLAKE tore Portlaoise asunder with 1-4 as underdogs Éire Óg roared through to the AIB Leinster Club SFC final.
The Carlow club famously dominated the 1990s with five provincial titles and rolled back the years with a memorable win in Portlaoise’s back yard.
Blake was terrific, shooting all but a point from play, while sub Niall Quinlan helped turn the screw with three second-half points. The big win over the joint record title holders means Carlow have representatives in both senior deciders.
Éire Óg will play the winners of today’s second semi-final between Ballyboden St Enda’s and Garrycastle on December 8.
But it’s disaster for Portlaoise who were on home soil at O’Moore Park yet imploded.
They were level at half-time but only scored a point in the second half and lost Kieran Lillis and Conor Boyle to red cards.
Éire Óg dominated most of the game and started brilliantly, bursting into a 1-3 to 0-1 lead.
Blake netted just seconds into the contest when he blasted a right footed shot across the goalkeeper and in off the upright.
Ross Dunphy then added a point and suddenly Éire Óg were five points clear after 15 minutes.
Portlaoise never looked panicked though and were remarkably back on level terms by the 19th minute.
Lillis’s 18th-minute goal was crucial though veteran attacker Brian McCormack was their key man in this period.
He picked out Lillis with a clever fist pass for the goal, scored a point himself and also set up
Benny Carroll, Gareth Dillon and Boyle for first-half points and it was 1-5 apiece at the break
Portlaoise started Graham Brody in goals after the Laois stopper’s strong form when introduced in the quarter-final win over St Pat’s and he justified his selection with a terrific penalty save to deny Cormac Mullins in the 19th minute.
Lillis, who finished the first half with 1-1, was grateful to his goalkeeper having been at fault in conceding the penalty.
But it all went wrong for Portlaoise after the break with McCormack scoring their only point, from a free.
Lillis and Boyle were dismissed and Dunphy blasted Éire Óg’s second goal on the hour.
ÉiRE Óg: R Keating; J Lowry, M Fitzgerald, B Kavanagh; R Mahon (K Chatten 65), M Furey, P McElligott; S Gannon, E Ruth; R Dunphy, D O’Brien (R Denieffe 62), C Hulton (D Hayden 51); C Blake, J Morrissey, C Mullins (N Quinlan h-t).
SCORERS: C Blake 1-4 (0-1f), R Dunphy 1-1, N Quinlan 0-3 (0-3f), J Lowry, C Hulton, D O’Brien 0-1.
PORtlAOiSE: G Brody; G Saunders, F Flanagan (R McEvoy 54), D Seale; D Holland (Colin Finn 43), Chris Finn, P Downey (D Larkin h-t); K Lillis, C McEvoy; B Carroll, C Boyle, B Glynn; G Dillon, B McCormack, R Maher (C Rogers 48).
SCORERS: K Lillis 1-1, B McCormack 0-2 (0-1f), B Carroll, G Dillon, C Boyle 0-1.
REf: P Maguire (Longford).