Éire Óg edge out St Joseph's in extra-time epic to reach Leinster club quarter-finals

Éire Óg 2-18 St Joseph's 3-13 AET

Éire Og, the five times Leinster club champions, survived an extra-time epic on their home soil in Carlow to eventually secure a dramatic quarter-final spot in this year's campaign.

Turlough O'Brien's side were pushed all the way by a gutsy St Joseph's who only claimed the Laois title six days ago and showed remarkable fitness and energy reserves to take this game to over 80 minutes.

In the end, two points from free-taker Adam McCarron in the second-half of extra-time secured the win for Éire Og who will meet the Dublin champions, Kilmacud Crokes or Ballyboden St Enda's, back in Carlow on 4 November.

St Joseph's, twice Leinster finalists in the past, will kick themselves for not finishing this one off. They led by five points in the final quarter of normal time but were suckered by an Éire Og comeback and a 65th minute Colm Hulton equaliser which forced the additional 20 minutes.

St Joseph's led by four at one stage in extra-time as well but simply couldn't shake off a dogged Éire Og side for whom McCarron top scored with 0-06. Substitute Josh Brady rifled 1-01 in extra-time also for Eire Og while Eoghan O'Flaherty, the former Kildare player, led the St Joseph's attack with 0-07.

It was always going to be a tough ask for Michael Dempsey's St Joseph's to take to the field so soon after their breakthrough win in Laois.

They overcame Portlaoise by just a point in a low-scoring arm wrestle last Sunday and must have enjoyed celebrating a first county title success since 2000.

But if they partied hard all week and took their eye off this Leinster club opener, it wasn't apparent.

They started brightly and led 0-02 to 0-01 in the eighth minute and while Éire Og, who won their 31st Carlow title almost