Gene Greville has been Enfield's latest contribution to Royal County underage teams. Here he talks to Royal County about the current state of play in the south Meath club and his career to date in the green and gold jersey. Please forgive the heading. I know it didn't take much imagination and perhaps, if I invested a little more effort, I could have come up with something more original - but in the case of Enfield's Gene Greville it happens to be very much appropriate. Because it wasn't off the ground that the Meath Under 21 star of the last two years licked his talent for the premier ball game in the Royal County. Meath GAA aficionados will have little difficulty telling you that his uncle, Michael, was full-forward on the history making All-Ireland winning minor side of 1957. Or that his father, Oliver, donned the green and gold jersey at Under 21 level in '67 - a year when the county's third Sam Maguire success eclipsed all other happenings. So as you can see it came as little surprise to Enfield gaels when their up and coming star followed in his father and uncle's footsteps. Having missed out on selection for the minor grade in '95 (he played a couple of Ulster MFL games), Gene attended Under 21 trials in '97 more hopeful than confident. He was eligible again the following year so whatever happened valuable experience would be garnered which would stand him in good-stead As events transpired, a string of consistent displays in the number two jersey made an impression on manager Gerry Cooney and his selectors and they in turn rewarded Gene with the right corner back spot for the county's opening championship encounter with Laois. The Enfield man repaid their faith with a competent performance and maintained his good form throughout the provincial campaign. Meath stumbled over Kerry (who were seeking an historic three-in-a-row All-Ireland U21 title) at the penultimate stage that year but the performance left a lot to be desired. Gene and other intercounty newcomer Enda Grogan from the St. Colmcille's club were made the scapegoats (when in truth other more established players failed to produce the goods) and were replaced for the final encounter with Derry. Gerry Cooney's charges suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of the Oak Leaf County but nonetheless Gene has happy memories from the eventful '97 campaign. Most notably playing alongside All-Ireland senior winners such as Darren Fay, Barry Callaghan, Mark O'Reilly and Paddy Reynolds. Was he not overawed by the illustrious company? "Not at all," the Enfield man replies instantly. "I had known Darren from school in Trim which was a help. It was a great experience playing alongside such talented footballers. "It was a big step up from playing junior football with Enfield. The games were a lot faster and harder, and you had to be in peak condition to play against the teams we were coming up against. "There was a very serious attitude amongst the panel and I had never trained as hard before in my life. But I enjoyed being involved." Paul Kenny returned as Meath U21 coach in the year gone by but once again Gene had to be content with a place on the bench. Watching helplessly as Laois brought the Royal County's impressive provincial record at this level to a halt was probably the lowest point of his career to date. "That was probably the biggest disappointment I have had to endure so far. No one really gave us a chance going into the game but we played really well and probably should have won it. Unfortunately, however, it wasn't to be." County junior manager Eamonn Barry wasn't slow to recognise Gene's ability and he's been a regular on the county junior team for the last two years - a period which yielded an All-Ireland decider defeat at the hands of Kerry and a provincial semi-final exit to Offaly respectively. The next step in the natural progression would be a call from Sean Boylan, but Gene is anxious to avoid tempting fate. "That certainly would be nice but all I can do is keep sticking at it and see how it goes." The seeds of the provincial underage success which the county have enjoyed in the nineties can be traced back to the eighties. All of Gene's colleagues on the Meath Under 21 team of the last two years would have grown up inspired by the exploits of Mick Lyons, Colm O'Rourke and Co. They remember Sam Maguire being brought to their schools and dreaming of one day emulating their heroes. Not so Gene. Back then he was a permanent fixture on Hill 16 cheering on the arch rivals in sky blue. The 21 year old better have a good explanation for this! "I grew up in Dublin, and I began playing football with the local Finian's Rivervalley team in Swords. I started playing with them when I was seven and and stayed with them until Under 13 level before we moved to Enfield. "Dublin were the team I supported. I never thought I'd end up wearing a Meath jersey but thankfully I saw sense before it was too late!" Rivervalley's loss has been Enfield's gain. Unfortunately however the south Meath club have struggled to make an impression in the junior grade for quite a while. Why is that? "To be honest I don't know why," the club's centre half back replied. "I suppose we're just not getting enough players into the club. We're a small club which needs new blood. There's some new houses being built in the parish so hopefully a few gaelic footballers will buy them." Despite the fact that silverware has proved a scarce commodity to date, Gene remains convinced that a junior championship success isn't beyond the realms of possibility. Hope, as always, springs eternal. "I think it is very possible for Enfield to win a junior championship at some stage. There are some good young players coming up from juvenile level and if the effort is put in there's no reason why we can't win it," he concluded. Tweet

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