Whenever he looks back, that particular day constantly dulls the rest. It was Navan in 1992 and George Doyle, 20 and absolute in his world view, wasn't even surprised when he looked at Colm O'Rourke and saw those placid features signal at resignation.

A gnarled, if golden, old team had stayed loyal to the old times for a summer too long and a year after buckling against Down in a pulsating All-Ireland final, they were being buried in their own backyard by Laois.

For Doyle, corner back that year, it was simply an affirmation that his county had arrived and like the others, he left the field drinking in the adulation. and revelling in a new-found jangly gangly walk.

A fortnight later, Louth kicked them out of the championship.

"Ah, we were young," sighed Doyle earlier this week.

"I suppose it went to our heads and we thought a bit too much of ourselves. The celebrating done that time was unreal. I mean, we had played in Leinster finals before and made it to a final but there was always this feeling that Laois would have to beat Dublin or Meath before we could consider ourselves as having made a breakthrough. That was the match that really set us back over the next few years. We thought we were on the way that day. Going out the next round broke our spirit."

Strange. You siphon through the dregs of a distinguished inter-county career, all the dank days, bruised muscles and back roads and it's all easily charted by two or three seminal hours spent on a green field.

Tomorrow is potentially the key moment when you go to trace the trajectory of Doyle's own career. Sure, he witnessed the delirious pageantry of Laois's only Leinster Final appearance of this decade and lived with the glamour names on many a dry-throated afternoon but, as was the case with Offaly's Vinny Claffey, found that years of staying within adequate touching distance of the powers had a strangling effect of its own. Constant disappointment makes belief brittle. and as the twilight of the decade set in, minds wandered.

Last year saw them pasted, 0-8 to 2-13 by Kildare and Michael Dempsey left office in the winter under circumstances riven with ill-ease.

"It was a hard time. There was never a great history of Kildare beating Laois like that, even though they proved themselves over the championship. Tom is a man I've always had great respect for and I've told him that." He tried things and it didn't work for him. That happens. But we didn't get a new manager until the new year and so the league only started for us once the second part of the programme began."

Tom Cribbin stepped into a kaleidoscope of disenchantment, with seniors questioning the wisdom of staying on and a bunch of youngsters still suckling after the joys of those marvellous minor and under-21 successes. He identified the game with which they resumed the league, against Kildare again, as a day to begin piecing it together again. they lost by a point.

"We were essentially out of the league then. People just turned their backs on us, it was the final straw." I think the attitude was that the seniors could be left to their own devices."

And thus was the case.

Although the perception was that Cribbin governed over a mixture of recalcitrant upstarts and terminally pessimistic oldsters, he set about healing through calm conciliation and basic communication. However, the recent departure of Colm Parkinson did little to improve Laois public relations.

"The way Tom handled that just exemplified his professionalism," said Doyle.

"I mean, he extended an olive branch to Colm after all that and I think that Colm hasn't responded yet but the door is there." Westmeath, with an under-age revolution of their own at full steam, looked a sweet bet and their participation in the house-of-cards day generated an untold amount of column inches for the county. The Laois boys drummed the table.

"Look, they hadn't beaten us at this level for something like 30 years. We saw what they did to Longford and being honest, we believed we could emulate that. At half time, we knew that we had to win ball at midfield and get it into our forwards." Doyle's vision in possession was the main reason Tom Cribbin installed him at midfield.

"He really has a fine ability to distribute quality ball from 30 or 40 yards and runs well. George is just a very steady guy and a good influence in such a central position. He is one of the lads that has made the amalgamation of younger and older players easy. He wouldn't be the most vocal in the dressing room but you'd see him having a quiet word with the younger lads and it bridges things well."

Cribbin made it clear from the start that personalities counted for nothing in his book and a few weeks ago, no one was certain of a place. It was an attitude Doyle appreciated.

That win over Westmeath has done much to resuscitate Laois.

According to Cribbin, the underage players have developed a natural expectancy which borders on arrogance. In short, they expect to overcome and this inbred absolutism is making the older men brave with thoughts again. Kind of reminds Doyle of how he was all those games ago in Navan.

"I think they are starting to realise that despite all their great days in Croke Park, there is something indescribable about experiencing a Leinster senior final. I think that's hitting them now and there is a sense that we are in this together. To win against Dublin tomorrow would be an unbelievable thing for this county. It would be the realisation of a lot of hard work and just breathe so much new life into the game here."

And he speaks like one convinced of a re-awakening.