Advertisement
Calm before the storm: Cork hurling manager Jimmy Barry Murphy at Páirc Uí Rinn. INPHO/Cathal Noonan
JBM

Jimmy Barry-Murphy: Sometimes I wonder what I let myself in for

The Cork manager returned when others might have stayed away. On Sunday he faces into yet another All-Ireland decider.

JIMMY BARRY-MURPHY is a legend on Leeside.

The St Finbarr’s clubman enjoyed a stellar playing career in the blood-and-bandages before guiding a young Rebels side to All-Ireland glory in 1999.

But JBM might well have risked tarnishing that reputation when he returned to again manage the county’s hurlers.

“When the board got in contact with me, I thought about it very briefly,” Barry-Murphy said ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland decider with Clare.

“I just felt maybe I could contribute something again, maybe naively at times because some mornings I wake up and wonder what I’ve let myself in for but it’s certainly enjoyable at the moment.”

Barry-Murphy won five Celtic Crosses with the hurlers — and one with the footballers — but admits the experience of preparing for a Liam MacCarthy decider is a lot different in middle age and on the sideline.

“I’m around a lot longer than I like to think. Since 1973 but I would say with all the talk about tactics and different players and all that, the one common denominator is that All-Irelands are still very, very hard to win. And it doesn’t get any easier, certainly,” he says.

“When I was 19 and I was going up with Cork as a young lad and when I see all the razzmatazz that goes with it, it was a different time, obviously. The media interest was way different but it was still and All-Ireland and it was huge.

“But I didn’t feel any fear whatsoever. I loved every minute of it and I’m sure for the young players in every county now, it’s the exact same. You just love it. Bring it on and you can’t get on with it fast enough.

“But the longer you get into your career….I remember playing in my last final and I was a nervous wreck before the match. I knew I was coming towards the end and that it mightn’t happen again. That is the human factor that everyone has to deal with.”

Barry-Murphy will face a now familiar foe on Sunday afternoon on the Croke Park line: Davy Fitzgerald.

The intense Banner boss is cast in stark contrast to the Rebels boss, but Barry-Murphy says Fitzgerald has done an excellent job of guiding a callow Clare side into September.

“Davy Fitzgerald has done a fantastic job, in fairness to him and I am not saying that just to patronise him,” he says.

“He has done a brilliant job tactically and his players have bought into the system. He has devised that, and in particular watching it against Galway the way they cut off the supply to Joe Canning that day was a fantastic ploy and they have the athleticism, the youth and the confidence to play the system that they are working. It was unbelievable in Croke Park against Limerick, I thought they were brilliant at it. When the system gets going and their use of the ball in Croke Park was brilliant.

“I suppose you could say that they are young and they have no inhibitions and they were just brilliant against Limerick.

image

Manager Davy Fitzgerald with the Clare players during their warm-up routine before the Munster clash with the Rebels. Pic: INPHO/Cathal Noonan

Does he expect the tactically astute Fitzgerald to throw something new at Cork?

“I don’t know,” says Barry Murphy, “That is up to every team to work out their tactics. You devise your tactics to counteract where the opposition is strong and you try to maximise where you think you are strong. Every game is different and we will just have to wait and see how that works out.”

The last time Cork lined out for a game with silverware on the line, they seemed to never get going. Limerick did and earned a memorable Munster title win. Does Barry-Murphy fear similar issues at GAA HQ?

“Well I don’t know what happened to Limerick, you always hear when a team is beaten that everything seemed to be wrong. The big factor I thought for Limerick was that they played two home games and I am great believer in home advantage because it is a big help and going to Croke Park then was new for a lot of them. It is a big test going to Croke Park and you have to adjust so from that point of view Clare certainly did, they adjusted to it.

“I thought some of our young players were great in Croke Park as well against Dublin and I hope they will build on that and improve,” he adds.

Reeling in the years: 9 of the biggest moments in the Cork v Clare rivalry

The Thai Tims are supporting the Dubs with their version of Molly Malone

Your Voice
Readers Comments
10
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.