Naas captain Eoin Doyle looks ahead to this weekend's Kildare SFC final

“It’s brilliant to be back there (in the final), to have the opportunity to go at it again and see where we can get to at the end of the game. It’s not going to be worth a whole lot unless we can go and win the game. But Clane will be saying the exact same thing, that’s the way it goes and that’s the beauty of sport,” the words of Naas captain Eoin Doyle ahead of this weekend’s SFC final.

Naas sides have been dominant in recent years at many age groups and levels but senior success is naturally the most revered of all. When asked if this Naas side now got the knack of winning, Doyle said: “There is a small bit of confidence from last year but all the games we have won have been won because of the hard work and the effort that has gone into them. That is all that will win any game and nothing else.”

Much has been said about Clane’s youthful exuberance, and rightly so. Naas’ experienced lineup including the likes of Doyle and Eamonn Callaghan has its own younger squad members who have made an impact. The likes of Kevin Cummins have come in and even taken penalties in crucial moments, an enormous level of trust shown in the next generation of Naas stars.

“There is a good injection of youth for us but no more than Clane. Clane and Naas over the last few years would have shared plenty of Minor and U21 finals and have managed to bring that up to senior level now. Both sets of teams are young, confident and vibrant,” Doyle explained.

The man giving youth a chance from the Naas sideline is manager Joe Murphy. The Naas boss has reached the county final in his first year and his team have looked rarely threatened in this Championship. Albeit expected to reach this final, the relevant boards will be pleased with Murphy’s contribution so far, especially given the peculiar story of last season.

Captain Doyle said of the manager: Joe is great. He has come in and he has fitted into the whole club. He has fited in seamlessly and we are enjoying the whole set-up and that is a credit to him and his to his backroom team without a doubt.”
Murphy and his talented squad of players have faced every type of opposition this season in terms of play style. The typical every-man-behind-the-ball being the most common, a tactic that is always challenging — something which was very much on view as recently their tight semi-final with Celbridge a few short weeks ago.

Clane are expected to be far more attacking than some of Naas’ other opponents but Doyle insisted that is none of Naas’ concern, “We try to play our game and do it to the best of our ability and see where that gets us.
“Every game takes on a life of its own, different scenarios will come at you and it’s about working them out as they come.”