Kerry footballer Paul Murphy had no reservations about dropping last month's All Star trip to Boston to represent his club in the East Kerry final in Killarney.
It may have been different from the highs of last September’s All-Ireland final triumph and his own man of the match display, but when all was put into context he says there was never a doubt in his mind over whether to go or to stay.
“My mother said to me, ‘if I said this time last year to you that you would have won an All-Ireland and an All Star but you would have to miss the All-Star trip’ sure I’d have bitten her hand off for it’. It was a pity but it isn’t the end of the world and we won the final with the club.”
The 23-year-old defender was representing Rathmore in the East Kerry final against Legion which had gone to a replay and subsequently clashed with the trip.
“Once the replay was set there was never any discussion. It was a pity the way it worked out that it couldn’t be changed but you have to have a bit of perspective too.
Own club
“It’s the
East Kerry Championship
and it’s very hard to win that medal. Diarmuid O’Keeffe is from our own club. He has two All-Ireland medals but he has no East Kerry Championship. It’s a really competitive division. We felt that we should have won the first game but we knew we had a great chance in the replay . . .it’s a very treasured medal.”
Murphy’s phenomenal year started around a year ago when he was drafted into the Kerry squad.
“About this time last year I joined the panel and my personal goal was to get a bit of game-time in the league and be in the 26 for the championship.
“ When I played in the McGrath Cup we had a few injuries, Killian (Young) was out and he did not come back until after a few games into the league so I suppose the door opened coming from the McGrath Cup into the league.
Completely satisfied
“I played against Dublin in the league and once you have your foot in the door you want to hold onto the jersey and luckily enough things fell for me after that. I completely satisfied my goal, I suppose.”
Such is the expectation in Kerry that a back-to-back All-Ireland is already being touted, or rather expected in some quarters. The return of Colm Cooper and Tommy Walsh to the squad for the new year has heightened expectations.
Eight-time All Star Cooper injured his cruciate ligament last winter ruling the Kerry captain out of action for the entire season.
“It has to be a help, them returning. Colm was involved with us this year. Not in a playing capacity but he was involved in the training and he has a great head for the game. He gives great advice and having him around was a huge help,” said Murphy.
“He had a massive season in 2013 and did very well with his club all through last winter and he was just unfortunate with the injury so I’m sure he’ll be ready for road again.”
“What he adds to it next year will be mainly in a playing capacity whereas you could imagine Tommy could add a lot more than just that. He was a great prospect and player when he left so five years as a professional you would imagine would bring him on again.”
Walsh left Kerry in 2009, after lining out at corner forward in that year’s All-Ireland winning campaign, to pursue a career in the AFL.
The former Sydney Swans player has now returned and been recalled to the Kerry panel for the McGrath Cup. Former All-Ireland and AFL premiership winner Tadhg Kennelly said at last weekend’s AFL combine in DCU that Walsh would return to Ireland as a “completely different” player.
“Having been involved in two professional teams,” said Murphy,”he will have picked up things that we can take off him and hopefully that will bring on other players as well, not just through his footballing ability but his knowledge of recovery and things like that.”
“Eamon (Fitzmaurice) will do whatever he thinks is right for Kerry. There will be good competition there next year but that is only good for Kerry. If individuals have to lose out, that’s football and you have to get over it and row in with the rest of the panel.”
