For a young man, David Dooley has had a career less ordinary. We chatted to the Laois hurler before this year’s Joe McDonagh Cup final in Croke Park.
For some members of the Laois senior hurling panel, Saturday’s Joe McDonagh Cup final against Offaly will be the first time that they will have ever played in Croke Park.
This is the case for David Dooley but the talented forward is well used to stepping outside the norm.
The Rosenallis man is only 21 this year but at one stage, it looked more likely that he’d be togging out in the Aviva Stadium than GAA HQ.
That is because at one point, Dooley was making serious waves on the international and provincial rugby stage.
After starting his club career with Tullamore, Dooley quickly rose through the ranks.
He played alongside the likes of Sam Prendergast and Paddy McCarthy – and was capped internationally at U-18 level in November 2019.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s final, he said: “I started with Tullamore Rugby Club originally when I was 10. I had a friend who was playing and enticed me to go over there and do a session or two with them.
“I loved it from day one really, I stuck at it and played a bit of Midlands when I came to the age for that and I kept progressing into Leinster U-18s then and Leinster U-19s and eventually into the Academy then.
“Throughout my underage career I played GAA still even to U-19, but when I went into the Academy I had to make the decision.
“My true love was always the GAA, the idea of a professional career was very enticing so that’s why I went for that, but it didn’t work out in the end obviously.
“It was very fine margins and I don’t want to blame the injuries either, I was there or thereabouts for a long time. I was obviously hoping to play Irish U-20s. When I was U-19 I was in camps, and then out of camps with injuries.
“Towards the end of my U-19s year I was in with the U-20s and we went to Verona for a World Cup scenario, it wasn’t an official World Cup due to Covid.
“I got injured after three days and I was meant to be there for three weeks so I had to fly home and go straight into rehab.
“Rugby was a great experience, getting to train with the Leinster first team provided some surreal moments.”
Dooley also speaks about almost making his debut for Laois in 2021 until he was deemed too young.
Dooley was set to feature against Wexford in the Leinster Championship on his first year at adult level, but it would come apparent that he wouldn’t be allowed to play due to new rules from the GAA.
He said: “The evening before I got a phonecall off Cheddar to let me know I wasn’t eligible, so it was a bit of a shock to everybody.
“I still stayed with the panel up until the Leinster U-19s started in the summer and things took off with them, training every day.
“That’s when I made the decision and it made the decision a bit easier to go with them.”
After some fantastic performances with his club Rosenallis last summer Dooley received the call back into the intercounty scene and he’s slotted in seamlessly and the team have gone from strength to strength as a whole.
“Everyone is so welcoming and helpful, if you ever want advice there’s so many approachable fellas on the team to have a chat with and they’ll give you pointers,” he said.
“There’s great experience and great youth in the team as well.”
He also describes what his first season of inter-county hurling has been like for him and how excited he is ahead of Saturday.
You can listen to the full interview with David below:
Any Podcast listeners who want to receive the private feed to listen on Apple Podcasts, or any other platform (with the exception of Spotify) should email info@laoistoday.ie and we will send you the link.
SEE ALSO – Check out all our top stories from our 2024 Remembered series here
