captained the 1952 team, and he also captained the Carlow county team for the following season. Carlow beat both the reigning All Ireland champions and the beaten finalists (Kerry and Armagh respectively) to reach the 1954 National League final, only to lose to Mayo. 1952 to 2006 After defeating Ballymurphy in the 1952 final (0-6 to 0–4 in a replay, after the first game ended 0–6 to 1-3), Palatine went 54 years without winning a Carlow county championship, losing several finals before re-capturing the championship in 2006. Among those losses were a defeat to Ballymurphy in 1953 (missing out on the chance to become the last team to hold that trophy, as a new one was commissioned the following season), to Kildavin in 1970, to Naomh Eoin in 1986, to Old Leighlin in 1997, O'Hanrahans in 2001, and Rathvilly (after a replay) in 2002. Even though success in the Senior Football Championship eluded them, in 1971 Palatine captured a football and hurling double at Under 21 level. There was another football and hurling double in 1985, this time at Intermediate level. After many close-calls in county finals, Palatine finally won their fourth Senior Football Championship after a 54-year wait, defeating Kildavin-Clonegal in the 2006 final by 1–9 to 0–11. Palatine led early on in the game, thanks in large part to a goal from Paul Reid. However, Kildavin-Clonegal had much the better of the play in the 2nd half and with a few minutes to go they led by three points. With the game entering its final stages, a comeback from Palatine culminated with midfielder Brian Farrell pointing from a '45 deep into injury time to secure victory for Palatine. Paul Reid was later named club player of the year for Palatine, and Joe Byrne was named player of the year by the Carlow county board. In their first ever foray into the Leinster club championship, Palatine were defeated by Rhode of Offaly, 2–7 to 1–11. After a fractious game, Westmeath referee Peter Fox was struck by a Palatine supporter who subsequently received a lifetime ban from the GAA. 2007 to present Buoyed by back-to-back Minor Championship successes in 2008 and 2009 (the first time such a two-in-a-row had been achieved alone, though a Palatine-Tinryland combination had won Minor Championships in 1975 and 1976 as "Pal/St Josephs"), Palatine remained competitive into the decade following their 2006 win. However their next