From that last-gasp win over Kilmacud Crokes in the Dublin final, Cuala have just kept winning, picking their way past the challenges of Naas, Tullamore and Ardee in Leinster before scalping Coolera Strandhill in Cavan on Saturday night. All season, Cuala have waded into new territory and they have happily kept on going.
“It is kind of surreal,” O’Callaghan said. “We only have a week now to the final so we need to regroup and take stock of that game, see what learnings we have taken, what we did well and what we didn’t do so well and look at the other team and how they play as well.”
Despite this being new ground for them, Cuala have carried the favourite tags into their games, a byproduct of emerging successfully from the Dublin championship.
“We tuned out of that, to be honest. I know it is kind of easy to look at the team and say there is a few Dublin names there and we have come out of Dublin. But theses lads in Strandhill, these are as good as what we have played against, the same with Ardee and Tullamore.
“You don’t win a county without being a very good team and you definitely don’t win a province without being a very good team so we really could not care less whether people say we are favourites or not. We take every team as seriously as the next.”
Operating usually alongside his brother Con, O’Callaghan has caught the eye this campaign particularly when hitting 1-5 from play against Naas.
That form prompted speculation he could join his older brother in the Dublin set up. However, he is hopeful there is more to come from both himself and the rest of the team.
“I know it is kind of easy to look at it and see a team going into a final and say that you are playing brilliantly but everyone has ups and downs.
“The last game probably was not my best. I probably have a bit more to give and that is probably the attitude you have to take. We are not going to rest on our laurels and think we are brilliant and start patting ourselves on the back. We can always build on it, personally and collectively.”
Win this Sunday and Cuala will become just the second club to win senior hurling and football All-Ireland titles after St Finbarr’s of Cork. A formidable Errigal Ciarán, themselves looking for a maiden title, stand in their way.
“We have been watching them come out of Ulster and they have had some close scrapes the same as we have. They are an absolutely fabulous team. We are going to give it our all. That is all you can do for a final and we will see how we come out of it.”
