Eire Og are through to this year’s Leinster Club SFC final after they finished with eight points to spare over 13-man Portlaoise at O’Moore Park this evening.

Goals from Chris Blake and Ross Dunphy bookended a fine performance by Joe Murphy’s charges and they prevailed on a scoreline of 2-11 to 1-6.

With the exception of the second quarter, the visitors were the better team and were full value for the win.

Blake gave them a dream start with a goal straight from the throw-in and they enjoyed a 1-3 to 0-1 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.

The second quarter belonged to Niall Rigney’s Portlaoise team, however, as they hit 1-4 without reply to take over in the lead.

Hard-working midfielder Kieran Lillis supplied the goal while centre-forward Conor Boyle edged them in front with a point in the 25th minute.

Shortly after, Eire Og were awarded a penalty after Lillis was adjudged to have fouled Sean Gannon inside the large rectangle but Graham Brody kept Cormac Mullins’ attempt at bay.

The sides were tied at 1-5 apiece at the halfway stage but Eire Og regained the initiative with three unanswered points after the break before Bruno McCormack opened Portlaoise’s second-half account via a free.

As things turned out, that proved to be the home team’s only score after the break and their woes were compounded when Lillis was issued with his marching orders for a second yellow card offence in the 52nd minute.

Dunphy applied the gloss to Eire Og’s performance when applying the finishing touch to a good team move while Boyle saw red in added-on time after his elbow appeared to catch Gannon in the face.

The team in red and white now await the winners of tomorrow's penultimate stage clash between Ballyboden St Enda's and Garrycastle in the decider and they will be bidding to add provincial title number six to their roll of honour.

Eire Og - R Keating; J Lowry (0-1), M Fitzgerald, B Kavanagh; R Mahon, M Furey, P McElligott; S Gannon, E Ruth; R Dunphy (1-1), D O'Brien (0-1), C Hulton (0-1); C Blake (1-4, 0-1f), J Morrissey, C Mullins. Subs: N Quinlan (0-3f) for C Mullins, D Hayden for C Hulton, R Denieffe for D O'Brien, K Chatten for R Mahon.

Portlaoise - G Brody; G Saunders, F Flanagan, D Seale; D Holland, Chris Finn, P Downey; K Lillis (1-1), C McEvoy; B Carroll (0-1), C Boyle (0-1), B Glynn; G Dillon (0-1), B McCormack (0-2, 1f), R Maher. Subs: D Larkin for P Downey, Colin Finn for D Holland, C Rogers for R Maher, R McEvoy for F Flanagan.

Referee - P Maguire.

 

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