21-year old Sullivan finishes up his Army training this Friday before embarking on a new life stationed at the Athlone Barracks from Monday, where his brother Paraic is also based.

Busy times for the Rhode forward, who has shown great leadership skills for both club and county in recent years and was captain of Offaly's Under 21 side who reached the Leinster semi-final last year, before a disappointing loss to Louth ended the Faithful County's hopes.

Juggling his Army career and football life in recent months hasn't been easy, but Sullivan got a lot of support from the Defence Forces in ensuring he gets to keep his Offaly involvement.

"In the last couple of months it has been tough," he said. I haven't been getting out for much training sessions, because I was in recruit training and my first phase of training first. It was difficult to get out. I was only playing an odd match here and there, but since I've passed out I have had a 12-week course and I've got out most evenings.

"In many respects the army has helped me and kept me relatively fit. I was able to slot into the games without much training. Maybe a bit of ball work I was off, but other than that I was fine. It was great."

Rhode claimed their 25th Offaly Senior Football title in 2012, at a stage where Anton was starting out on his fledgling Army career.

Sullivan was thankful that he was allowed to take part in such crucial games for his club.

"Recruit training - that was my first phase of training and that was 17 weeks long. In that training I wouldn't have got out at all. I was involved with Rhode from the county semi-final onwards and I wouldn't have trained with Rhode at all.

"Every three weeks we were let out for one weekend and that was it. Basically on Sunday I put in for a pass, hoping for the best that I would be let out for a match and luckily enough I was in all cases. If you are playing football in the army they are very supportive. They have no problem letting you out for games which is great.

"I have to commend the army and the organisation. It's absolutely tremendous."

There's a strong tradition of participation by those in the Defence Forces in GAA activities and recently Sullivan lined out alongside Kildare duo Gary White and Padraig Fogarty; Carlow's Brendan Murphy; fellow Rhode and Offaly player Niall Darby and Dublin Under 21 footballer Danny Byrne; in a game against AIB.

"It's great to play with these players and learn their brand of football as well," he said.

"You would be pulling from Galway, Dublin, Cork, Athlone. Even a lad came down that day to play from Donegal. He was in Finner Camp. He made his way down to the Curragh to play.

"A huge effort is being put in to the army football team. Dermot Earley is over it. A huge effort is being put into it and it showed that day. We sent the bank packing all the way home!"

7am rises are the norm, breakfast at 7.30 and at 8.30 kicking into a day's work. A 10k run and a lecture looking ahead to his new job next week and the different units. Lunch and then today it's exploring the in's and out's of gas chambers and the different types of gases for the afternoon.

Work is over at 4.30, but Sullivan has to squeeze in a mandatory fitness test, before he heads for home for the evening and back to the Curragh for 23:59.

Some evening's it's home, other's he spends with Kildare's Padraig Fogarty and Kilkenny hurler Colin Fennelly, chatting football and hurling and heading down to the pitch at the Curragh for a kick-about.

"You take your day in phases. You have the morning and then you have the evening and you just get through it that way. Some evenings you mightn't go home.

"Padraig Fogarty is there and Colin Fennelly and the three of us might go for a run or go down to the football field. Colin might take a few frees or Podge and I might kick some football. It's great that way. You don't have to go home every evening, but the majority of evenings I do go home and I go training or I do a weights session."

Turning to Saturday's final, Sullivan is glad to have secured promotion after mid-campaign Offaly's league position saw them outside the top-two.

"We are focussed. It's three weeks since we played Tipperary. That game was win at all costs, whether we had to put 15 men behind the ball or whatever it was just important to get a result there.

"We have our sights on Limerick now. We should have beaten them in the league, we were very disappointed after that game and it kind of set us back. Then Clare beat us the following week. We were lucky to win the rest of our games or we wouldn't have got promoted.

"That will be in the back of our minds on Saturday evening. We want to get revenge on them on Saturday evening. We are after doing a lot of good work in the last three weeks and trained hard. The week after the Tipperary game we put a lot of effort in and last week we trained hard again. This week we are just winding down and keeping our bodies fresh and we are all looking forward to Saturday."

Sullivan is one of Offaly's younger talents, although an experience head at 21, having made his Senior debut at the tender age of 17 - a 1-13 to 1-10 win over Fermanagh in Division 3 of the league at O'Connor Park.

New manager Emmet McDonnell has a wealth of young players at his disposal including Eoin Carroll , Peter Cunningham, Joe Maher and Paul McPadden,

Sullivan says Saturday's game at Croke Park is a great stepping stone for the younger players on the squad.

"There is a lot of young talent here in Offaly. We showed it last year in the Under 21's when we knocked Meath and Kildare out, only to fall to Louth unfortunately. There's a lot of lads coming through. This is a stepping stone, it is a game in Croke Park and it will give the young lads a bit of confidence.

"This game is a stepping stone towards the Championship. Our sights are set on Kildare and I know we are young, but I think we can give them a good rattle in June and that is our main priority.

"It is a bonus on Saturday. We are out of Division 4 now and that's all we wanted. That was our goal and we have achieved that now. The pressure is off now on Saturday evening, we can go out and enjoy our football.

"The young lads are getting to play in Croke Park and it will be a great experience. I think we will play better now that the pressure is off. We can enjoy the game. If we lose so be it. We have played in Croke Park and it's a game before the Kildare game which would be great. It's definitely onwards and upwards for us. You will be hearing an awful lot more about Offaly in the next few years hopefully.

"Offaly haven't played in a final in Croke Park since 2007 and they only lost by five points against Dublin that day. That is only six years ago, so there is no reason why we can't go up on Saturday evening and give Limerick a good rattle.

"They put it up to Kerry and Cork in the last few years and they nearly toppled Kildare last year who are a very good side, so they will be coming to Croke Park very hungry. It's a great test for us and it will see what way we are going and what direction we are heading towards." Tweet

Most Read Stories