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The prize on offer in O'Moore Park today. Ryan Byrne/INPHO
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Ballyboden St Enda's v Éire Óg - Leinster senior club final

O’Moore Park in Portlaoise hosts today’s final.

Result

Leinster senior club football final

Ballyboden St Enda’s (Dublin) 0-8 Éire Óg (Carlow) 0-6

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Afternoon all and welcome along to our live coverage of the last provincial senior football final of the year.

It’s Dublin against Carlow in the Leinster decider with Ballyboden St-Enda’s taking on Éire Óg. Throw-in at O’Moore Park is 2pm.

Ballyboden St-Enda’s triumphed in the Leinster final in 2015 with Éire Óg last victorious in this competition in 1998, part of five titles wins they enjoyed in the 90s.

All set in O’Moore Park for the action. Ballyboden strong favourites, can Éire Óg spring a surprise?

Plenty possession for Ballyboden but Éire Óg pack their defence and can break away as the Dublin side see their attack break down.

Colm Basquel gets a sight of goal on the right of the posts for Ballyboden about 20 yards out but Eoghan Ruth does brilliantly to get back to block. We’re still waiting for the first score.

Snapshot on the turn by Darren O’Reilly but it’s off target for Ballyboden. Éire Óg well organised at the back, making it difficult for the favourites.

Éire Óg 0-3 Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-0
What a burst by Éire Óg! Big scoring breakthrough on a difficult Sunday for football with three quick points in succession. Ross Dunphy gallops forward, exchanges passes and clips over a point. Then Éire Óg break to intercept the resultant kickout and Sean Gannon judges the wind perfectly to float over his kick. And then they gather possession again with Chris Blake sweeping over a score.

Ballyboden are playing against a fierce wind and having to go short with kick-outs cost them there twice as they coughed up possession. Éire Óg with a bit of a cushion on the scoreboard now.

Sub: Defender Paul McElligott forced off through injury for Éire Óg and Kelvin Chatten comes in.

Bit of a hold up there for that injury to the Éire Óg player but we’re back under way now and still Ballyboden go in search of their first score.

Huge moment! Ballyboden manage to break the cover and have clear sight of goal, Basquel’s shot is smothered by goalkeeper Ricky Keating and Éire Óg can clear.

Éire Óg 0-3 Ballyboden 0-1
It’s taken 23 minutes but the Dublin kingpins are on the board. A ’45 is floated in and breaks to Colm Basquel who pops it over off his left from close range.

Dunphy hoofs one in from distance for Éire Óg but the ball is held up in the air and tails wide despite the best efforts of Colm Hulton to keep it in. The Carlow side have gone a while now without adding to their tally.

Éire Óg 0-3 Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-2
The gap is down to one now. Ballyboden’s patient inter-play pays off and it’s capped off by Conal Keaney hooking over a point approaching the interval.

It’s an atrocious day for football in Portlaoise, a typical winter afternoon as both teams try to round off a long year on a successful note.

Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-3 Éire Óg 0-3
Draw game now. Yellow card for Mark Fitzgerald after a foul on Alan Flood. He hauled him down as a channel of space opened up near goal after being turned. Ryan Basquel clips over the resultant free.

Half-Time: Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-3 Éire Óg 0-3

So all square at the break then in O’Moore Park on such a tough day for football. Ballyboden have got the upper hand as the half progressed, reeling Éire Óg in and pulling back the three points they conceded in a quick early burst to the Carlow champions.

Ballyboden look the better team and have the wind in their favour in the second half. We’ll be back shortly for the second half action.

All set to go for the second half action at O’Moore Park.

christopher-blake-and-cathal-flaherty Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

ross-dunphy-and-conal-keaney

Early chance for Éire Óg from a free but Chris Blake can’t find his range and push them in front.

Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-4 Éire Óg 0-3
And for the first time in the game, Ballyboden hit the front. Colm Basquel makes ground in the left wing and fists over when he approaches goal. 

Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-4 Éire Óg 0-4
But the lead doesn’t last long! Éire Óg rally and surge downfield with Ross Dunphy steadying himself to drive over a lovely point. Level again.

Sub: What a replacement to bring on. Michael Darragh MacAuley comes in for Ballyboden and Sean Gibbons is also in. Donough McCabe and Brian Bobbett are the players to make way.

Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-5 Éire Óg 0-4
It’s getting frantic now as both sides attack but Ballyboden get their noses in front, Conal Keaney showing the composure to loft over a point.

Sub: Éire Óg bring in Derek Hayden for Cormac Mullins. 

Éire Óg still in this approaching the final quarter and they’ve a free in from out on the left wing.

Chris Blake had the accuracy in to the teeth of that strong wind but it fell short and Ballyboden clear.

Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-5 Éire Óg 0-5
But the underdogs are level now! Jordan Morrissey kept calm to clip over a lovely point after being fed by Sean Gannon. The move began with Ballyboden being turned over when they were on the attack.

Colm Hulton has a go from the right for Éire Óg but his shot drifts wide.

Sub: Warren Egan in for Ballyboden for Alan Flood.

Wild shot by Ballyboden sub Egan who is just in and it’s all square with ten minutes left. 

Sub: Tom Hayes in for Ross McGarry for Ballyboden.

Ross Dunphy has a chance off his left but can’t get the angle right as Éire Óg press to go ahead.

Are Éire Óg going to rue those missed chances? Ryan Basquel sizes up a free for Ballyboden.

And Basquel can’t get his shot on target as it drifts away.

Now a free in for Éire Óg. Ross Dunphy the latest to try to convert one in these difficult conditions.

Éire Óg 0-6 Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-5
Dunphy taps it short to Sean Gannon who pops over the point and the Carlow champions hit the front!

Sub: Niall Quinlan in for Éire Óg for Colm Hulton and Ballyboden bring in James Holland for Conal Keaney.

Free in for Ballyboden, Ryan Basquel to take it.

And the ball floats wide, Éire Óg still ahead. Two minutes left.

Warren Egan levels it for Ballyboden!

We’re into injury-time, 0-6 apiece in Portlaoise.

Two minutes of injury time to be played.

And Ryan Basquel puts Ballyboden ahead, super point!

Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-7 Éire Óg 0-6
Is that enough for the Dublin champions?

Michael Darragh MacAuley fists over the point that puts Ballyboden ahead by two.

Full-Time: Ballyboden St-Enda’s 0-8 Éire Óg 0-6

Pulsating finish as Ballyboden held their nerve to grab that late run of points. Very tough defeat for Éire Óg to take after they put in a massive performance. Terrible conditions for both sides but it was a fierce battle, Ballyboden winning their second Leinster title of the decade and they’ll now take on Down’s Kilcoo on Saturday 4 January in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Thanks for joining us today.

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