Greville wary of the threat posed by the returning Tommy Doyle

Raharney captain Robbie Greville has welcomed the fact that Lough Lene Gaels have made the breakthrough and will contest the senior hurling final on Sunday. It’s a break from the stranglehold Raharney, Clonkill and Castletown Geoghegan have held over the past decade or more, but he’s also wary of a new threat.

“It’s good to see someone else making the breakthrough. Usually Clonkill or Castletown Geoghegan are there, but just for Westmeath hurling it’s great. But it will not be an easy task: they have Jogger Doyle back now and he is a massive presence, even from puck-outs you can see his influence. He can play in the forward line also, so it gives them options. We will have to deal with that,” he said ahead of Sunday’s final.

He and his colleagues are well aware of how capable Lough Lene Gaels are.

“Noel Conaty is a great goalkeeper and we all get one very well when we’re playing for Westmeath, but we will be enemies for the final! They have fine young players like David Williams, who was really impressive in the semi-final, not just from frees, but his general build-up play was excellent. Eoin Daly also. We have lots to think about and it will be a massive challenge for both teams in fairness and whoever contends with it, will win.”

But Sunday is a big day for Raharney and there is a buzz of anticipation about the village.

“We are looking forward to the final; it’s our first one in two years and we can’t wait. We have had four weeks since our last group game and the players are working hard and really looking forward to the final,” said Robbie Greville.

The Deelsiders’ captain is not too bothered about being installed as favourites and insists it will be about producing a performance on the day.

“We have been in a lot of finals and it’s down to the day. It doesn’t matter if you’re underdogs or favourites; anything can happen on a given day. It’s often down to a puck of a ball. Whichever team can prepare the best and perform on the day will emerge winners,” he remarked.

Greville is happy with the level of experience Raharney have in their ranks.

“We have a lot of players in with Westmeath and they are after making great progress in recent years. They are used to playing at a high standard with Westmeath, taking on Division 1 teams (in the national league). It’s great to have players with that level of experience,” he observed.

“We have younger players emerging - the likes of Brian McGrath has come in this year and he’s a massive addition with his height and strength. We’re happy with the panel we have now and that’s important.”

He is expecting a massive test in Sunday’s decider.

“The test will be stiff: we played them earlier in the year and won by eight or nine points, but that will not be a factor next Sunday. They will be coming in with massive hunger; they haven’t been in a senior final in 14 years. So, you can’t beat hunger and they will be coming at us with bucket loads of it,” he said.

TOUGH

His team’s form has been generally good all year and the dual star feels qualifying directly for the final has helped the team get a crucial break at a vital stage of the season.

“We lost against Castlepollard, but we were missing a good few lads: I was injured and Killian (Doyle) was only back from injury. Others were absent too, but we are slowly building and in each game we’re after getting a better and better,” he noted.

“We have had a four-week break and we had football to contend with as well. That’s a big factor. You could see with Castletown Geoghegan in the semi-final: I thought they looked a bit leggy. It is very tough, playing games every week.

“I enjoy playing both codes, but doing it every single week is tough. To bring down your performance during the week and then pick it up again for the weekend constantly is a massive ask for players when you have so many on the one team playing both codes. We have had four weeks since the football finished and it has freshened up, that break. Hopefully, that will stand to us going into the final.”

Conditions will be a factor, Greville suggests.

“When you get to October time, the ground is a bit softer, so whoever wins the dirty ball, whoever is hungry enough to do that, will win. You see it year in, year out,” he opined, suggesting frees may well play a key part.

“Killian Doyle is one of the best hurlers in the country in my opinion: he could shoot from anywhere, the skill levels are unbelievable. But on the other side, David Williams is almost as good, so hopefully it doesn’t come down to a battle of free takers. There’s a great calibre of hurler going to be on show in the final: you see it all through the year, these lads playing for Westmeath at under 20 level are going to be great.”

The Greville family are steeped in Raharney GAA.

“We are a proud club. My family’s history is rooted in the club; my brothers were all captains, as was my father (Sean Greville), so it’s a great honour for me. My sisters are away for the final - they’re looking to get flights home and everything like that, but I don’t think they will make it! They didn’t have great hope for us this year! At least they have Iarmhí TV so they can watch the game,” he said.

“As captain, it’s a great honour. The two older brothers don’t play any more, but they were captains also. It’s a great club and a wonderful honour for the family.”