Dr Joe Coyle ensured that Monaghan was represented on All-Ireland football final day last September when he acted as one of the medics to the victorious Cork team. 

During his five years as a Monaghan senior footballer, Dr Joe Coyle never got the chance to play in an Ulster or All-Ireland final. But through his involvement with the Cork team this year, he experienced the thrill of being part of an All-Ireland winning set-up.
The former star centre back, who specialises in radiology at Cork University Hospital, also experienced the utter devastation of losing an All-Ireland final as part of the medic team to the Cork minors, who lost to Tyrone by a solitary point in the Croke Park curtain-raiser on September 19 last.
Joe had been joint-team doctor along with Dr Aidan Kelleher to the minors all season and was only added to the senior backroom team for the All-Ireland final against Down after Dr Con Murphy suffered a freak injury in the Rebels' thrilling semi-final victory over Dublin.
"Con tore his Achilles tendon while attending to a player during the semi-final and he needed someone who was able to run on to the pitch in the final. And that's how Aidan and I came to be involved with the seniors," the former Monaghan Harps player explains.
"We were there with the minors, so it was just a matter of staying in our seats for the senior game. As a player, you dream of playing in an All-Ireland final and it was a fantastic experience to be involved with an All-Ireland winning team, even in a non-playing capacity.
"Aidan and I were in an unique position in that we got to experience the highs and lows of All-Ireland final day in the space of a few hours. We were gutted after the minors lost, yet ecstatic after the seniors won. The only serious injury we had to attend to was a broken nose to Derek Kavanagh, who picked it up not long after coming on as a substitute."
He continued: "The celebrations afterwards were unbelievable. Cork had had a lot of disappointments since they last won the All-Ireland in 1990 and they had waited a long time for this success. We had a great night in the Burlington (Hotel) - the minors stayed there on the Saturday and Sunday nights and the seniors were there on the Sunday night after staying in the CityWest (Hotel) the night before."
Dr Joe says the medical attention players receive now is a far cry from when he last donned the Monaghan jersey a decade ago.
"The changes have been unbelievable," says the 35-year-old, who won three intermediate league medals with Monaghan Harps.
"Whenever I got injured playing for Monaghan, I was given an icepack to treat the injury. But if a player, in Cork anyway, picks up a knock nowadays, he's sent straight to the hospital for a scan. "I'm not saying the attention injured players in Monaghan receive was anything but first class; it's just treatment standards in the modern era, especially since the advent of MRI, is completely different now. I would be dealing with the Cork players on a regular basis in hospital, and likewise with the Munster rugby players. It's so professional compared to the old Monaghan set-up I was a part of."
Joe has fond memories of his Farney County playing days, even if championship success eluded him. He burst onto the inter-county scene in 1996 with a man of the match performance on his senior championship debut against Donegal. Then managed by Longford native Michael McCormack, Monaghan were subsequently beaten in the Ulster semi-final by Cavan.
Monaghan failed to reach an Ulster final during Joe's time, but did jump from Division 4 to Division 2 in the National League and also won the McKenna Cup.
"We had a decent team and I think we could have made an impact in the championship if the backdoor system had been in place at the time," he reflects.
"Michael McCormack did great work with us and Eamonn McEnaney, who is back in as manager now, continued that on. But we were unfortunate in that Ulster was so competitive - even more competitive than it is now. You had Down, Derry and Donegal, who had won All-Ireland titles in the first half of the 1990s, and the likes of Armagh and Tyrone were coming through as well. It was hard to get a look-in with teams of that calibre."
Coyle was in his prime as a footballer when he left for Australia after qualifying as a doctor in 2000. He spent two years in Down Under - during which time he won an Australian championship with Clan na Gael in Sydney - and a further two years in New Zealand before returning home in 2005.
He moved to Cork three years ago where he has continued his football career with St. Finbarr's. But shortly after lining out at centre back for the 'Barr's in last year's county final defeat to Clonakilty, he suffered cruciate ligament damage and missed all of this season, including the county final against Nemo Rangers which once again ended in disappointment.
Joe hopes to return to the St. Finbarr's fold in 2011, but with a move to Toronto in the pipeline, his comeback will be shortlived.
"I'm moving to Toronto in July to further my studies in sports imaging, so I'll only be able to commit to the 'Barr's for the first half of the year. I'll do a year there and then another year in Vancouver after that. I hope to return to Ireland for good after that, assuming I can get a job," explains Joe, who isn't married.
Dr Joe hails from a well-known GAA family in Monaghan town. His father Fergus is a former Monaghan Harps chairman and team manager, while his brothers Fergal, Peter and Shane have all played for the club. While Peter and Shane continue to represent the Harps, eldest brother Fergal now plays his club football in Roscommon.
The family's GAA ties don't end there. Joe's sister Alison is dating current Monaghan midfield star Dick Clerkin, while another sister Julie lives in Athlone where she is married to former Westmeath footballer Joe Fallon.
By coincidence, Peter and Joe were in opposition when Monaghan lost the 1999 All-Ireland under 21 semi-final to Westmeath. The Lake County subsequently defeated Kerry in the All-Ireland final and Fallon went on to win a Leinster senior medal under Kerryman Paidi O Se five years later.
"Football has always been the main topic of conversation in our house. Even the in-laws are into it!" Joe jokingly concludes. Tweet

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