Cormac Egan hears Leinster opportunity knocking for Tullamore

Tullamore's victory over Tinahely was the first win in Leinster since 1977.

BIG CHANCE: Cormac Egan of Tullamore. Picture: ©INPHO/James Lawlor

Perhaps St Loman's would have given us something to really think about if they'd played last night.

Fresh off demolishing Dunshaughlin, the Westmeath champions' clash with Castletown of Wexford was called off due to fog, however, so the Leinster club SFC picture remains the same - with Cuala as almost unbackable favourites.

Meanwhile, well down the bookies rankings, lie Tullamore, fourth of the five teams remaining.

The thing is, with three-in-a-row winners Kilmacud Crokes failing to make it out of Dublin this year, every single team still in the competition believes a window of opportunity has opened up for them.

Tullamore and Offaly star Cormac Egan certainly sees it that way anyway. Maybe Tullamore's low ranking stems from the fact that last weekend's quarter-final win over Tinahely was their first in Leinster since 1977. Either way, the 30-times Offaly champions will face Cuala in Saturday week's semi-final at Parnell Park feeling opportunity is knocking.

"Yeah, definitely, no more than Naas would have before playing Cuala last Saturday as well," said Egan. "Crokes have been so dominant in Leinster the last number of years. With them gone... but look, Cuala are still an unbelievable side to come out of Dublin.

"But it definitely feels like if there's going to be a chance, this could be it hopefully. And this is the first time for us winning the first round in Leinster as well, so this is as good a chance as we're going to get."

Tullamore's trip to Aughrim last Sunday to play Tinahely was the club's 10th provincial outing, stretching all the way back to 1973. Their record over the years has been terrible, winning just once, in 1977, before finishing strongly at the weekend to overcome Tinahely.

Tullamore lost to Naas, after conceding a late, late goal, in 2021 and then to Summerhill of Meath last year. The latter defeat really stung.

"You're representing your county and you don't want to feel like you're letting people down going out in the first round of Leinster," said Egan. 

"Last year, we really felt like we let ourselves down, and the other people in Offaly, getting beaten by Summerhill in a game we probably could have won."

Beating Tinahely was progress then and having already achieved back-to-back Offaly SFC titles, for the first time in almost 100 years, it has been a terrific season.

That won't stop tipsters from installing Tullamore on long odds ahead of their trip to the capital.

"It's nearly a similar case to earlier in the year," said Egan, part of the Offaly team that was hammered by Dublin in a Leinster semi-final in April. 

"We went up to Croke Park to play Dublin and, you know, everyone has written us off before we go so you can just go up, try to take a scalp. We'll prepare for the game as much as we'd prepare for any other game. And we believe we have a panel of great players so we'll give a strong account of ourselves and hopefully we'll get the result."

Whatever happens under the lights at Parnell Park, Tullamore will bank the precious experience. They have a talented young team with Egan, John Furlong and Oisin Keenan-Martin all part of the Offaly team that won the 2021 All-Ireland U-20 title. Wing-forward Cillian Bourke, who scored an important point against Tinahely, is still in secondary school.

"I think we're growing as a group each year," said versatile half-forward Egan. 

"We're not going to get into our own heads regardless of who we're playing. We got the back-to-back out of the way in Offaly, we hadn't done that as a club since the 1920s, so that was a massive thing. Now to be making progress in Leinster is massive for everyone in the group. Hopefully it continues."