Two decades on Doyle is delighted to get another crack at Leinster,

20 years is a long time to wait for anything, even more so when you’re waiting for a second crack at a Leinster final that you thought might never come.

Timmy Doyle is last remaining playing link in the Grangenolvin team who lost the 2005 Leinster Junior Final to Westmeath’s Ballinagore, although 'Red' Farrell and Martin Leahy are important pieces of the management set up.

There were times during the intervening years when another shot at Leinster title seemed a million miles away for Grangenolvin but Doyle was part of the underage coaching set up in the club and even when things weren’t going well at senior level, he could see the talent that was coming.

“There’s a good few of us who were there during the tougher times, Nathan (Doyle) and Dylan (Costigan) and a few others there as well. In fairness to JJ Grace a few years ago, he could see what coming and he started it all off. He had the vision. We nearly got over the line with (Steven) Cush and Davey (Conway) has come in this year and to be honest, he’s brought us two or three steps forward. Everything seems to have clicked this year and a lot of the young lads have gone from boys to men.

“All country clubs have a spell where they are waiting for a time for these young lads to come through. You can see how good they are and you’re just praying that not too many of them move away and that they keep the interest. You can see them at 14 or 15 and see how good they are but that’s all before college, nightlife and moving away. We’re lucky enough that we kept most of the bunch. A couple of guys have moved away, Oran (Bergin) did a stint away but he’s back now so we’ll try keep him now.

“I managed a few of them really young and then the last crop I had, I had Dylan and Nathan and the guys at Under 16 or minor. I was finishing training them and then they were coming training with me with the seniors so that was a bit surreal,” said Doyle.

If the belief in the young players within the club wasn’t enough, there were some who believed that it was written in the stars that after years of disappointment, this would be be the year that they would finally win in Kildare and right the wrongs of two decades ago in Leinster.

“I remember we had our dinner dance last year and Fran Miller, who has been knocking around the club for a long, long time, spoke to me and told me that the Championship was as good as in the bag because it would be 20 years since our last county final. I told him I didn’t believe in any of that but he said, ‘it’s in the bag’ so in fairness to him, he could see this coming,” laughed Doyle.

As well as his time spent coaching the underage, Doyle is typical of the tight-knit family club in that he is playing with three of his nephews.

“That’s always been the way down at Grange. In one way it shows how small we are but in another way it shows how lucky we are to have these families playing together, and the talent that is within those families. I’m lucky to have my three nephews on the team with me at the moment – Nathan, Lee and PJ. Another, Jack, did his ACL last year and he would have been on the team but is still around the place. There’s the Bergins, the Dooleys, the Cullens, the Bowens. It’s brilliant, it means so much to the parents and families then as well. Even my own parents at home, it’s like Christmas has come early for them,” said Doyle.

After a succession of near misses in Kildare, Doyle said getting over the hump of Kildare semi-final was a huge thing for this team and they have been playing with a freedom ever since.

“Once we got over the semi-final in Kildare this year the whole dressing room relaxed, in a good way. That was the big monkey on the back and I think we’ve played better as the games has gone on since then. When we were losing semi-finals lads didn’t want to go into the dressing room or play on a such and such pitch, silly little things. Now, we don’t mind, we’ll play anybody anywhere. If a lad is missing, we don’t mind, we have a strong panel. Everything is positive and a lot of that is down to Davey and the management team. I couldn’t highly enough of him. Tactically, man-management everything is as precise and if it isn’t as he would like you will know all about it the next night at training,” he said.

Although now 41, Doyle could put lads almost half his age to shame with his energy. He had a spell as a roving goalkeeper but the change of rules meant he didn’t get on enough ball so he moved back out the field.

“The lads make me feel old because I can’t catch any of them! The old rules were great because I could still be involved but then the new rules nullified any effect I could have so I just asked could I get back out the field and try to get on the ball. It’s worked out and I’ve played and started most games so hopefully I’ll get picked for the final now with a bit of luck,” he said.

It's been an incredible year for Doyle as he combines his playing duties with Grangenolvin with a management role with Clomullion, and was recently named as the KDFL Manager of the Year along with Barry Hughes after their Senior Division and Lumsden Cup success. They recently knocked LFA Junior Cup holders Evergreen out of the competition and they also have their eye on provincial success in the new year.

“It doesn’t stop! It’s great, the kids love going to all the games. They’ll go to the soccer, they go to the football games. If they weren’t enjoying it and weren’t going to the games it might be a different story, you’d have to put the family first. If I felt I wasn’t able to give something back or wasn’t enjoying it I’d definitely walk away from it but I still love it. The management side is a different passion, as a player it’s great to be part of a group but as a manager it’s great to watch guys do well after some of the instructions you’ve given them, stuff like this.

“You couldn’t plan it. Especially our semi-final win with Grange, all I ever wanted was another crack at Leinster. Win or lose, at least I can say I had another go at it but hopefully we’ll come out the right side of it.

“Then, with Clonmullion we’ve a great squad as well. Evergreen knocked us out twice in the last three years and now we knocked them out. All the stars seem to lining up for us, I won’t say too much at the moment but hopefully by next March or April with a bit of luck I might have two Leinsters to celebrate,” he said.