Meath’s prospects – and that of every other team in Div 1 of the National Football League of getting a result against Donegal increased quite a bit this evening that Michael Murphy has again announced his retirement from inter county football at the age of 37.
The great man from Glenswilly had originally bowed out after Jim McGuinness had brought his first tenure as Tir Chonaill boss to an end. Until, in one of the worst kept secrets in Irish sport, he was tempted back to the county fray when the Glenties clubman put back on the Bainisteoir top.
And, as had continually happened since he made his inter county debut before doing his Leaving Cert, silverware followed soon thereafter. Personally, I first came across him when he smashed a last minute penalty against the crossbar in an All Ireland U-21 final against Dublin.
However, by that stage he had already played against Cork in the SFC at Croker before he could legally drive or vote! There’s no doubt that without him the McGuinness era – if one was to title it thus – would never have become the glorious spell of dominance for the men from the north west.
From a Meath perspective, he tormented us, he broke our hearts and he got away with murder with referees, but you’d still have loved to have had him on your team. He had everything you want in a footballer.
Two feet, good in the air and as good a score maker as he was a taker. Indeed, if he had had the opportunity he should have patented his signature move if dropping out to midfield and flicking on kick outs to such a length that it would leave the beneficiary thereof clean through on goal. Ryan McHugh certainly got one goal in a major match in GAA HQ.
Having said all the above, to give a fair and realistic appraisal of Murphy’s career it must also be admitted that he played on the very precipice of the line of acceptable dark arts and was no stranger to crossing it.
It is not elasticating reality to suggest that he had what we’ll call an unusually influential relationship with referees. Now, from one angle I suppose you could say fair play to him for usinng his cuteness and experience to best advantage to manipulate a given situation to the best benefit of himself and his team.
That, however, didn’t make his alacrity at the dark arts any easier to stomach when you were on the wrong end of same. Kerry would surely concur after this year’s league final. Wherein how he wasn’t sent off should be declared the eighth glorious mystery. Though presumably Conor Lane has been to Specsavers since!
How often do you see it that sports stories will have a symmetry to them. Consider that, Michael’s first major disappointment on the big stage was in that U-21 final against the Dubs. Just as the first statement victory was a year later. And, as it happens, so too was his final bow in the green and gold last summer.
As was hinted at from the outset here, Michael Murphy’s career has been bullet pointed with success from start to finish, up to and including the league final in which he was blessed to stay on the field.
The real irony being that his reverse resurrection tops off a triple whammy for followers of Donegal sports with the regrettable defection of Finbarr Roarty – which surely more could have been done to stop – and the increasing likelihood that Seamus Coleman’s playing days are drawing to a close.
Closer to home though, while Jimmy will undoubtedly have them winning matches again, it mightn’t look quite as easy as before.