Larry Tompkins could have ended up playing with Offaly rather than Cork.

That's according to fellow Eadestown man Dave Kavanagh, who played for both his native Kildare and the Faithful County. Tompkins had established himself as Kildare's talisman before he moved to Castlehaven in 1987 and went on to star in Cork's All-Ireland successes of 1989 and '90.

However, it transpires that he could have transferred to Offaly a few years earlier as Kavanagh recalls in this week's Tullamore Tribune: "Prior to his move to Cork, Larry was a carpenter, then working for a large building company in Kildare who were in the shake-up for the tender to rebuild Tullamore Church (which was destroyed by a fire in 1983).

"He had advised his club in Kildare that he was transferring to Tullamore, but the tender went elsewhere and Larry never came to Offaly."

Kavanagh expects his adopted county to avenge their Allianz League defeat to the Lilywhites in this evening's All-Ireland SFC qualifier in Newbridge.

"Pat Flanagan has Offaly consistently performing well in most games now and he has a stronger team available to him than when the sides met earlier, which might just get them through," the former midfield star said.

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