"It will be intense" - Doyle is all set for the Senior Hurling Championship as St Mullins prepare to defend their title
Paul Doyle who will captain the reigning champions, St Mullins Photo: Pat Ahern
Six senior championship titles. 2014, 2015 and 2016. 2019, 2022, 2024. Throw in two Joe McDonagh Cups, a Christy Ring Cup winners medal and a National Hurling League Division 2A title and it looks as if Paul Doyle, the Carlow and St Mullins defender is one of Carlow’s most decorated sportsmen.
His enthusiasm for hurling doesn’t wane. He was back in Netwatch Cullen Park for the Carlow hurling championship launch on Wednesday. His eyes are sparking. He is willing to talk and while he is a fast speaker, he chooses his words well.
“I love it. I suppose you have to enjoy it when you can. There will be plenty of times when you are going to be out looking at games,” he articulates.
“Luckily, the body has been ok. It is easy to go training when you have good lads around you. Good management. Good players and good friendships as well.”
He broke into the senior side in 2013. There have been disappointments but not that they are etched in his mind forever.
“None really jump out to mind. There would be some where we were frustrated when things didn’t go your way,” he suggest.
He is acutely aware that his love of the game has to be passed on to the younger players coming through. After all that is where he found his niche in St Mullins.
“There are great players there. In other years we had lads driving us too. We want to get to the standards the Pat Coady’s and Tom Doyle’s set. They were driving us on when we were young lads. That is what we wanted to aspire to.”
Looking to the championship, Doyle finds it hard to believe that no club bar St Mullins or Mount Leinster Rangers have won a senior title since 2008 when Naomh Bríd scored a late, late goal to deny Rangers a three-in-a-row.
“I would say any of those championships. Last year we could so easily have lost a semi-final to Bagenalstown. They could so easily have won so you would not have been talking about us then.
“You could so easily have been talking about Bagenalstown winning the championship. There are other years there where Ballinkillen would nearly have pipped us to the post. We barely scrapped through some games. The role of honour might only say two teams. Other clubs are still contributing a lot to this championship. Good clubs. Good people behind them,” he says.
So with St Mullins having a week off in the opening round, if they qualify for the semi-finals they will have played five games in a row. It is potentially an active time for all. Yet the St Mullins man wants more clubs to ply their trade at senior level.
“In the intermediate championship this year there are four clubs who are fielding their first teams. If you could get some of these teams up, it would be unbelievable. Six or seven teams. When I started hurling it was an eight-team championship. It was great. More games. More lads to mark, more lads to figure out. More lads to be roasted by.”
He is glad the hurling and football championship schedule has been divided. Also that the games are close together. Yes, the championship will be over in less than two months. That is ok for Paul Doyle of St Mullins and Carlow.
“It is very quick. We will have four weeks in a row. It will be intense. It is what lads want to do. You don’t want to be hurling a week then a month off. Lads want games. It is a very exciting championship. I am looking forward now to getting going with the club,” he says.
Ballinkillen v Mt. Leinster Rangers, 6pm
Bagenalstown Gaels v Naomh Eoin, 7.45pm
Naomh Moling - bye
