Antrim season hinges on Tullamore return

ANTRIM’S season comes down to one final day. A second 70 minutes of the year in Tullamore will determine their 2026 story.

After a poor set of results, the Saffrons find themselves in a shootout with Offaly to see who remains in the Leinster Championship and who will begin the battle to emerge from the Joe McDonagh Cup.

It’s the second time Antrim have been backed into a corner this year. When their Division One future was in doubt, Davy Fitzgerald’s team followed up a draw with Carlow by beating Laois.

Antrim were winners over Wexford and Carlow in last year’s Leinster Championship under Darren Gleeson’s watch. In 2023, they drew with Dublin and beat Westmeath in their first season back after winning the 2022 Joe McDonagh Cup.

Now it’s different. Antrim and Offaly are both pulling at the same rope. The Faithful County have made the climb back to the top table after underage progress. Antrim will be hellbent on staying in the Leinster Championship for a fourth season.

There was a combined 2-18 from Brian Duignan, Killian Sampson and Dan Ravenhill as Offaly ran out 2-26 to 0-17 winners when the sides met in February’s league clash.

It was seen by many as Antrim’s first benchmark of the season, a team at their own level. But the gulf said it all and they’ve been fighting an uphill battle since.

Shipping six goals against Galway on Sunday will leave the Antrim camp needing to do two things this week. Park the result and put all their eggs in the basket of one big performance.

Offaly will go into this week’s rematch as favourites, but they’ve yet to win a game themselves. They can tap into a more consistent set of performances and a win over Dublin in the league.

For Antrim, there are no more turns in the 2025 road. With an inferior score difference, a draw won’t even do. It’s simple. It’s a must win game and time for their performance of the season.