ALAN MURPHY KNOWS about the highs and he knows about the lows.
September 2014, All-Ireland Sunday: the Glenmore youngster celebrates in Croke Park after scoring 0-6 to help Kilkenny to win the minor hurling title.
May 2016 in Mullingar felt like a million miles away. The Cats, hurling aristocracy, were sent packing from the Leinster U21 championship by an unfancied Westmeath side that upset the established order with a shock that nobody saw coming.
Murphy and the rest of his team-mates ducked out of Cusack Park with their heads down.
“The year didn’t even really start and you were gone,” he recalls. “It was low enough now leaving to be honest.”
Even if they wanted to hide from the ghosts of that defeat, they couldn’t have, and last month Eddie Brennan’s side went back to the scene of the crime for a Leinster semi-final against the same opposition.
The 10-point winning margin was hardly a reflection on the game, considering Kilkenny only led by three points with three minutes remaining, but walking out the gates with a win this time was all that mattered.
“It was looking hairy enough there for a while but thankfully in the second half we pulled through,” says Murphy, who finished 1-8 of his side’s 1-21 total.
“Probably the scoreline maybe didn’t do them justice, but we would have taken one point or 10 points, anything at all.
“We were just happy to get out of the place and it’s all systems go.”
He adds: “They were well up for it. Cusack Park isn’t a nice place to go and we found that out last year and even this year.
“They are very tough and well able to hurl, and for 50 minutes there, it was nearly level. We were lucky enough to get out of it, and thankfully we did.”
It’s five years since Kilkenny were Leinster U21 champions but they have a chance to right that wrong on Wednesday evening in Nowlan Park against a Wexford side that have won three of the last four provincial crowns – including two at the Cats’ expense in 2013 and 2015.
It won’t be long before the county’s attention turns back to senior matters though with Saturday evening’s win-or-bust qualifier against Waterford looming large on the horizon.
Murphy was involved in Brian Cody’s panel this spring where he played a dual role — as corner-forward, and as understudy to his older brother, goalkeeper Eoin.
If it sounds unusual for a player to double-jobbing between goal and the full-forward line, it’s just part of Murphy’s game.
“There’s three of us there, myself, Eoin and Richie Reid, and we all play outfield for our own clubs. It’s weird but it’s second nature at this stage.
“We are well used to it and it’s no surprise as well. You know you are kind of there for the two jobs so you just get on with it. It might seem strange to someone on the outside but it doesn’t bother us.”
Given the choice though, he’d rather be rattling the net than batting the ball away from it.
“The goal is a very specialist position and the margins of error are small enough. I’d say (I’d prefer) outfield anyway. Somewhere out around the forwards or half-forward line would be my preferred spot.”
Having an All-Star brother to call upon for advice hardly hurts either.
“You’d just be asking him about small little things, like how many times you’d want to be doing things on your own. He’d always be able to guide you there on how to be doing stuff. Even if you weren’t sure about things, he’d just tell you what he thinks you should do.
“He’s been there now a couple of years himself so he’s be happy enough to pass stuff onto me and make sure that I’d be looked after.”
Kilkenny go into Wednesday’s final as slight favourites but, growing up just a stone’s throw from the Wexford border, Murphy needs no introduction to the men he’ll be facing in purple and gold.
“They are serious and you never really run into a bad Wexford team. Especially at U21 level in the last few years, they’ve been very good. We are looking forward to it and we know Wexford will be a serious test.”
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