Last night's Carlow Minor Championship final between Éire Óg and Palatine ended in chaos as the referee made a controversial decision right at the very death.
Éire Óg found themselves two points down in the final seconds of the game, and as the clock had ticked past the three minute mark in injury time, it looked as though they managed to pull off a fairytale ending.
A high ball was launched into the box, won by the forward who unleashed a shot immediately, but was blocked down by some brave Palatine defending.
The ball then spilled loose, only for an Éire Óg player to react the quickest and hit an absolute rocket off the deck to send the size five O'Neill's flying into the net.
I’ve never seen the likes of it lads 😅
@Carlow_GAA @SmallerFishGAA @JoeBrolly1993 @sportsdes @hoganstandgaa pic.twitter.com/qZARxIz5Uv— Lee mulhall (@Leemulhall97) October 11, 2024
For about half a second it appeared that the comeback was complete only for the players to realise that the referee had blown for full time just milliseconds before the ball was struck.
The understanding by everyone in Gaelic football is that if a losing team has an opportunity to score an equaliser or winner, and are in the middle of their attack, then the referee awards them with that luxury, but that was not the case on this occasion.
The Éire Óg players immediately flooded towards the match official with hands on heads, eyes popping out of their sockets and a collective aura of disbelief pouring out of them, as they felt they were unjustly robbed of a late winner.
The commentators managed to articulate the sheer chaos of the situation in real time, and understandably, they were just as dumbfounded as the players on the pitch.
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They dropped it into the square, this never works, does it? Oh bulldog - oh it's a goal! I don't believe it.
"Oh no, no, he has not given it. The whistle is gone. The final whistle had gone, it was over, Palatine had won it.
"That's shocking, Palatine were the better team, but that is shocking refereeing. There's going to be trouble."
Congratulations to Palatine who after an incredibly dramatic and some may say controversial finish to the CENTAL MFC 'A' final emerged winners over minor specialists Eire Og last evening! A two point win for Pal. @Carlow_GAA @Natsport @TheLeftWingBack @Eireogcarlow @PalatineGAA pic.twitter.com/dfAg5ZqsoS
— Pat Ahern (@pgahern) October 11, 2024
Although Éire Óg will be pulling out their hair in frustration, Palatine will be celebrating a famous and memorable victory for the club.
Sometimes you just have to think that these things are written in the stars, and with the Northern Lights piercing the skies last night, the club colours of Carlow's minor champions were on show for everyone to see.
Call it fate, destiny, bad luck, or harsh refereeing, but you can only imagine that the two teams will meet again at u20 and senior level, and that this incident might be the start of an epic rivalry in county Carlow.
