Warrior Eoin Doyle helps Naas secure first Kildare title since 1990

Naas 0-14 Sarsfields 0-12

A warrior for club and county, Eoin Doyle has endured more bad days than somebody who puts so much effort into his football deserves.

From outside the county, Kildare are viewed as an underperforming side who fail to make the most of their large numbers and passionate support. Within Kildare, Naas are viewed similarly.

Both Kildare and Naas supporters spend an inordinate amount of time harking back to the glory days of the ‘90s. For Kildare, it was the Glenn Ryan inspired Mick O’Dwyer team of 1998. For Naas, it was the team of 1990.

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Back then, they beat a star studded Clane team to win the club’s first county title since 1932 and when they returned to the final 12 months later, even though they were beaten it appeared their future was bright.

But after that - nothing. They endured a 30 year wait to get back to the final.

As a Kildare captain wearing number six, Doyle probably heard more questions than most about how Kildare would never match up to the side led by Ryan, one of the best centre backs of his generation. He certainly heard the questions within the Naas club about why could they not emulate the great team of 1990.

Finally, on Sunday in Newbridge, Eoin Doyle had his day.

“There’s two teams I hear a lot about in Kildare...,” he said, while standing in the middle of the pitch in St Conleth’s Park surrounded by delirious Naas supporters.

“That’s the 1998 team with Kildare and the 1990 team with Naas. So one of them is off my back now. I can honestly say this is the best day of my footballing life, I’m just overjoyed.”

“My little one’s grandad was on that team and then captained them when they lost in 1991 so I know all about them. To match them, it’s just brilliant,” he said.

Doyle was a warrior on the pitch before leaving injured in the 49th minute but just as he had to fight once he crossed the white line, he’s had to fight behind the scenes to keep things on track for Naas.

Just a week before their semi-final against Maynooth, manager Paul Kelly left his post in acrimonious circumstances. Naas could have went outside their club and looked for a temporary manager to step into the breech but Doyle has been a leader all his life and when his club needed him the most, he wasn’t found wanting. He and his fellow club stalwart Eamonn Callaghan took charge of a player-led management team.

“It happened so late in the year, to bring somebody in, I just didn’t see value in it, it had to come from us. It wasn’t just me, we all just pulled together. There were difficult conversations there when we were picking teams and picking panels but everybody put the shoulder to the wheel and it’s just great to get over the line,” said Doyle.

After all the planning that had gone into the game, Doyle was a helpless bystander in the closing stages after departing the action. Naas had made a blistering start to the game and led 0-8 to 0-1 after 22 minutes and they led 0-13 to 0-8 when Doyle made way. Just a minute later, they were down to 14 men when Sean Cullen was shown a black card.

Momentum was all on Sarsfields’ side in the final ten minutes and two points from Tadhg Hoey and then a Darragh Ryan point left just two in it. There was late controversy when Sarsfields had the ball in the Naas net but play was brought back for an earlier foul. Barry Coffey clipped that over the bar to just a point between the teams.

Sarsfields have built their reputation on strong finishes and it looked like they were timing their run to the finish line to perfection again but rather than them getting an equaliser in the three additional minutes, veteran Eamonn Callaghan made a crucial tackle when then led to Paul McDermott scoring the last point of the game.

It’s a win that Eoin Doyle and his Naas team-mates will cherish forever.

Naas: Jack Rodgers; Brian Kane (0-1), Paul Sullivan, Conor McCarthy; Tom Browne (0-1), Brian Byrne, Paddy McDermott (0-1); Eoin Doyle, Jack Cleary; Dermot Hanafin (0-1), Eamonn Callaghan (0-2, 1f), Alex Beirne (0-1); Darragh Kirwan (0-4) , James Burke, Sean Cullen (0-2). Subs: Colm Joyce for Hanafin (47), Cathal Daly for Doyle (48), Paul McDermott (0-1) for Kane (54); Brian Stynes for Beirne (60+3).

Sarsfields: John Melia; Tom Aspell, Shea Ryan, Colm Hartnett; Darragh Ryan (0-3), Con Kavanagh, Ciaran Aspell; Ben McCormack (0-3, 1 '45), Tadhg Hoey (0-3, 1m); Cian Costigan, Barry Coffety (0-2, 1m, 1f), Conor Hartley; Dan Nea, Shane Doyle, Alan Smith. Subs: David Shalvey for Alan Smith(h/t), Karl Hartley (0-1) for Costigan (36), Cian Byrne for Ciaran McInerney-Aspell (38), Gary White for C Hartley (43), Sean Campbell for Hartnett (45).

Referee: Billy O'Connell.