Time to strike is now for Tullamore
by Kevin Egan
It’s not just Tullamore supporters who will be avidly hoping for a home win in Saturday afternoon’s Leinster semi-final at O’Connor Park (1.30pm throw-in). After winning three Dowling Cups in a row while adding an assortment of underage and lower tier silverware into the mix as well, the Blues are a long way out in front of the chasing pack in Offaly and while they might get caught in a one-off game, the age profile of the team is such that they could reasonably be expected to three or four out of the next five championships as well.
It'll be much easier for the rest of the county to make peace with that if they can make a breakthrough in Leinster, or at the very least, pick up some notable scalps to prove that it’s not just other Offaly clubs that are unable to curtail this well-oiled machine. And Ballyboden St. Enda’s would certainly be a notable scalp.
On paper, the current Dublin champions don’t look quite as intimidating as Cuala last year or the Kilmacud and St. Vincent’s sides that each won three Leinster titles in quick succession. However the absence of a Shane Walsh or a Diarmuid Connolly talisman doesn’t make them a poor side and when it comes to athleticism and power, Tullamore won’t have met a side like this all year long. Aaron Leavy has come into a rich vein of form this Autumn but alongside Cillian Bourke, he has a huge task on his hands trying to keep tabs on Céin Darcy and Ryan O’Dywer, the Galway man a particularly imposing figure in that sector.
Colm Basquel and Ross McGarry kicked 1-9 from play between them last time out and the Dublin intercounty duo will as always be a significant threat, but if the battle in between the 45s can be won, then as we saw last time out against Luke Loughlin, it doesn’t matter how gifted the inside forwards are, they are only as good as they’re allowed to be.
At the risk of heaping pressure on Paul McConway and his players, Tullamore aren’t favourites to win this game but they are unlikely to get a better combination of circumstances in the next few seasons. Stacking the possible emigration of Cillian Bourke alongside their current relatively clean bill of health and their home draw, the time to strike is now.