CARLOW SFC FINAL (replay)/Eire Og 2-9 Palatine 0-11: A GOAL in the early stages of each half set Éire Óg firmly on the way to their 25th county title at Dr Cullen Park yesterday.

The two Éire Óg green flags came in the first minute from an Eric McCormack penalty and in the 37th minute from Seán Gannon and they were two setbacks which proved too much for challengers Palatine to overcome.

ÉIRE ÓG: M Hennessy; P Cashin, S Myers, V Kavanagh; A Curran (0-2), C McCarthy, B Hennessy (0-1); C Bolger, S Gannon (1-0); C Mullins, T Dowling, B Carbery (0-2); E McCormack (1-3, 1-0 penalty, 0-2 frees), S Rea (0-1), A O'Brien. Subs: W Quinlan for Mullins (23 mins), B Kavanagh for Dowling (44 mins), K Moran for Curran (57 mins), J Ryan for B Hennessy (57 mins), P Kingston for Bolger (59 mins).

PALATINE: T Nolan; D McDonnell, B Farrell, J Deering; G Farrell (0-1), J Byrne, D Kinsella (0-1); N Reid (0-3), J Reid; B Murphy (0-1), P Reid (0-1), E McGarry; J Kenny, D Reid, B Kelly (0-4, frees). Subs: A Hosey for Kenny (47 mins), P Cushin for Murphy (45 mins), P O'Dwyer for McGarry (51 mins), P O'Toole for D Reid (54 mins).

Referee: P Kehoe (Rathvilly).