Tullamore manager delighted to get two giant monkeys off their backs

OVER the past few years, Tullamore senior football manager Niall Stack became very adept at side-stepping questions about two in a row and winning Leinster club games.

With Tullamore embarking on an exciting new era of excellence, Stack fielded annual questions about their inability to retain a title and win a game in Leinster at press nights ahead of county finals.

Their Senior Football Championship final win over Ferbane was their first time to retain the title since 1926 when they completed three in a row while Sunday's success over Tinahely in the Leinster Club Senior Football Championship quarter-final was their first visit to the winning enclosure at this grade since 1977, and only their second win in all.

Their failure to retain a title in almost a century was a huge blemish on their record and in its own way, their performances in Leinster was even worse. The Leinster club championship only started in 1971 and Tullamore's only win was in a replay against Newtowncashel of Longford in 1977. They subsequently lost to St Joseph's of Laois that year while they made one game appearances in 1973, 2002, 2007, 2013, 2021 and 2023 - the 2000 final when they ended a 23 year famine was played in December and Rhode were nominated to represent Offaly that year.

That unwanted dual record was something that hurt their own supporters and was used as a stick to beat them with by members of surrounding clubs for several years. Niall Stack may have given the impression that it didn't matter, that they only focussed on the game ahead of them and this was the only way he could answer these questions publicly. There is no doubt that it was something they didn't dwell on as a group or talk about but it was in the background. It was something everyone in the camp was conscious of and the relief after they grinded out a fully deserved but hard earned 2-10 to 1-7 win over Tinahely on Sunday was palpable.

The sight of supporters applauding the team after it and the obvious joy in the squad and entourage would not be replicated by every side in this level for a quarter-final win but it was a very important monkey for Tullamore to get off their back – it was as significant for them as the two in a row a few weeks earlier.

Unlike county final press nights, Stack embraced the question when it was suggested that this win transcended most normal ones.

“If I'm honest, yes. It is something actually club members and supporters carry a lot. It is something that is thrown at us locally and stuff.”

When he took over as manager five years ago, the first issue they took on was not competing properly in the Division 1 Football League and then other targets loomed into their view.

“I suppose not being prominent in leagues was something we felt we were not good at prior to taking this group and we have kind of corrected that. We have done the back to back, which again was something that was often thrown at us as a group or club. Winning now in Leinster is very satisfactory to be honest. Just getting that game, to win.”

He was surprised at Tullamore being favourites in Aughrim considering their record and Offaly's dire Tailteann Cup campaign.

“For some reason, we were favourites today. They beat a Laois team in Portarlington who have been very prominent in Leinster. I think to be honest there is unnecessary pressure put on Offaly teams when they get to Leinster. We are a county that just lost to London so how are we expected to beat the Wicklow's, the Carlow's in this grade. I think it is kind of unfair on any team going out but yes I am delighted today from that point of view. For all the club members and past players, we just corrected it.”

He acknowledged that two in a row and Leinster were blemishes on them.

“Yeah they have been, they were something just thrown at us. I am just delighted for this group and for locals. That is another thing done.”

Tullamore were the better team the whole day in Aughrim but only made it count in the closing quarter.

“I wasn't too familiar with the score at times but definitely, I thought in the first few minutes, without getting panicked, we didn't convert enough and we looked like a team who hadn't played for four weeks. They looked like a team who did play in the last while because when they got very rare opportunities, they tended to take them. Once we settled in we were fine.”

Tullamore had four wides from their first four attacks and that did worry Stack. “Yeah, I thought we should have had 1-3 out of it.”

Now they face Leinster and All-Ireland favourites Cuala, a red hot side who beat Naas on Saturday and have home venue in Parnell Park for the semi-final.

It is bonus territory for Tullamore now with the pressure off and expectations gone but the manager is looking on it as an opportunity.

“We will approach the Cuala game and try and give the best account of ourselves. I know Cuala are favourites for the All-Ireland, that will tell you how strong Dublin is. They have beaten the All-Ireland champions who were ridiculously dominant, not just in Dublin but in the country in Kilmacud. We will give them a go, we will try and get our match-ups right. I don't know yet.”

He didn't see them against Naas but will study that game in depth in the coming days now.

“I told the lads not to be looking at them and I didn't look at them because I think you start looking beyond Tinahely subconsciously if you did that. As a group, we held our focus, we looked at Tinahely only and now we look at Cuala. We somehow try and plot a way of trying to beat them and be competitive with them.”

He is also positive about Tullamore's prospects of an upset. Naas were not far away against Cuala and Stack pointed out that they should have beaten the Kildare champions in 2021.

“Look, we have played Naas and I felt we should have beaten them. We played them with one arm tied behind our back. We had a hurling final the night before, Declan Hogan was out with Covid, we had a bereavement among the group. We had a lot of things go against us prior to that game and I still think we should have won it. I think Summerhill last year, while being underdogs, I think we should have won that game so if we can bring a performance, I can live with it. No matter what happens, hopefully we can do that.”