Saving penalties, misplacing kick-outs... the highs and lows of a GAA goalkeeper

Duhallow goalkeeper Patrick Doyle has suffered disappointment in the last two senior finals. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
The following weekend, Doyle saved two penalties as Knocknagree beat Gabriel Rangers by a few points. The beauty of the county semi-final/final circuit at this time of year is the ups and downs, sometimes both within a week.

Doyle got his tells spot on at vital moments. Eoghan McSweeney said afterwards how vital they were in stopping opposition momentum. John Fintan Daly was delighted for his young goalkeeper: Doyle’s only 22. Another club person mentioned Doyle’s dedication and there is definitely something of the modern goalkeeper in his approach.

“There are times to just boot the ball out and try to win possession further out. You do need to think about giving the advantage to your team in the right way, and it wouldn’t just be my call or management’s; it would be a group decision that might change from game to game, as well. If we were up against a team with a very strong midfield, we mightn’t hit as many long kicks, or, if a team liked to press, it might change where you’d put the kick-outs,” Doyle says.

Doyle has already experienced many of the variables of being a goalkeeper.
