A MORNING COFFEE revealed some home truths before Emily Murphy starred in Ireland’s opening 2027 World Cup qualifier defeat to France.
The Newcastle United forward put in a Player of the Match performance in Ireland’s battling 2-1 loss at Tallaght Stadium last night.
And Carla Ward was full of praise for Murphy, who she almost dropped from the squad last March.
A trip to St James’s Park, where Ward intended to share the news, took a turn after watching the Magpies beat Sunderland 1-0 in WSL 2. Murphy provided the assist for the winner and played the full game, as she changed her manager’s mind there and then.
“It’s funny. We sat having coffee this morning and I was telling the story that before the Greece camp (in April 2025) I went to Newcastle to watch her play against Sunderland,” said Ward.
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“I went there to tell her I was leaving her out [of the squad] but that day she was absolutely superb. By the end of the game, I thought that I can’t leave her out.
“She came to see me upstairs thinking that the message would be she’d be left out. I said to her, ‘I was going to leave you out of the camp because I need to see more. But what I’ve just seen out there today is what we need.’
“By the way, her reaction, she’s been different level since then. She’s come in, got her head down and has been top.”
“She probably knew that she wasn’t as sharp in that first camp. I needed more and made it clear that I needed more from the group. I went there and she changed my mind in 90 minutes at St James’ Park. I got on a flight back to Dublin, named her in the squad the next morning and left someone else out.”
The rest is history.
Having celebrated her 23rd birthday on Monday, Murphy spoke about maturing as a footballer in the build-up to the France game. She talked the talk, and then walked the walk on Tuesday night.
While France super sub Melvine Malard and Ireland goalscorer Katie McCabe stole the headlines, Murphy was a tireless presence and constant thorn in Les Bleues’ side. She expertly liked up with McCabe for the opener, assisting her with the deftest of passes, and went close to scoring herself. Her hold-up play was excellent, as well as her composure and game intelligence.
With 14 caps under her belt, Murphy has recently consolidated her place in the Ireland XI, with previous displays against Slovenia and Belgium also memorable.
And there’s more to come. “Yeah, she’s 23,” Ward nodded. “Every time she puts on an Ireland shirt, she performs like that.”
The Ireland head coach told the tale while speaking to a group of Irish football writers in a quiet corner after the main post-match press conference had finished.
Ward was noncommittal on refereeing decisions after Swedish whistler Tess Olofsson and her officials were booed off the pitch, but said she would welcome VAR in women’s international football. The technology-aided officiating system is used at tournaments, but isn’t always in operation in qualifiers.
“It’s funny, isn’t it? Of course, I can’t stand VAR back in the men’s game. I think for these types of games, they’re great. It’d be great. But I think we’re a bit far off that.”
Ireland must now pick themselves up for another blockbuster game against Netherlands in Utrecht on Saturday. McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan have emerged as injury concerns, with an update expected in due course.
Poland held the Dutch 2-2 in Gdansk yesterday, blowing Group A2 wide open.
Just the group winners qualify for Brazil 2027 automatically, with more favourable playoff routes on offer for higher finishers.
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Ward has made clear that Ireland’s target is third, but this may not be the straight shootout widely anticipated between themselves and the Poles.
A result in Holland would shake things up further — and Ireland have stunned the Oranje Leeuwinnen before, holding them to a 0-0 draw in Nijmegen in 2017.
There has been no chat about that, however. “No,” said Ward. “They won’t even talk about the last win over France. They’re getting fed up with everyone talking about it. They want to talk about this new era so there’s no talk about that.
“We’re not here to make up the numbers, we want to achieve something. I believe that in 14 months we’ve come an awfully long way. If you remember my first press conference, the one thing I said is that I like to be exciting. I think we’ve shown that.”
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How '90 minutes at St James’ Park' changed Carla Ward's mind on Emily Murphy
A MORNING COFFEE revealed some home truths before Emily Murphy starred in Ireland’s opening 2027 World Cup qualifier defeat to France.
The Newcastle United forward put in a Player of the Match performance in Ireland’s battling 2-1 loss at Tallaght Stadium last night.
And Carla Ward was full of praise for Murphy, who she almost dropped from the squad last March.
A trip to St James’s Park, where Ward intended to share the news, took a turn after watching the Magpies beat Sunderland 1-0 in WSL 2. Murphy provided the assist for the winner and played the full game, as she changed her manager’s mind there and then.
“It’s funny. We sat having coffee this morning and I was telling the story that before the Greece camp (in April 2025) I went to Newcastle to watch her play against Sunderland,” said Ward.
“I went there to tell her I was leaving her out [of the squad] but that day she was absolutely superb. By the end of the game, I thought that I can’t leave her out.
“She came to see me upstairs thinking that the message would be she’d be left out. I said to her, ‘I was going to leave you out of the camp because I need to see more. But what I’ve just seen out there today is what we need.’
“She probably knew that she wasn’t as sharp in that first camp. I needed more and made it clear that I needed more from the group. I went there and she changed my mind in 90 minutes at St James’ Park. I got on a flight back to Dublin, named her in the squad the next morning and left someone else out.”
The rest is history.
Having celebrated her 23rd birthday on Monday, Murphy spoke about maturing as a footballer in the build-up to the France game. She talked the talk, and then walked the walk on Tuesday night.
While France super sub Melvine Malard and Ireland goalscorer Katie McCabe stole the headlines, Murphy was a tireless presence and constant thorn in Les Bleues’ side. She expertly liked up with McCabe for the opener, assisting her with the deftest of passes, and went close to scoring herself. Her hold-up play was excellent, as well as her composure and game intelligence.
With 14 caps under her belt, Murphy has recently consolidated her place in the Ireland XI, with previous displays against Slovenia and Belgium also memorable.
And there’s more to come. “Yeah, she’s 23,” Ward nodded. “Every time she puts on an Ireland shirt, she performs like that.”
The Ireland head coach told the tale while speaking to a group of Irish football writers in a quiet corner after the main post-match press conference had finished.
She reiterated her pride and disappointment, and covered some new ground.
Ward was noncommittal on refereeing decisions after Swedish whistler Tess Olofsson and her officials were booed off the pitch, but said she would welcome VAR in women’s international football. The technology-aided officiating system is used at tournaments, but isn’t always in operation in qualifiers.
Ireland must now pick themselves up for another blockbuster game against Netherlands in Utrecht on Saturday. McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan have emerged as injury concerns, with an update expected in due course.
Poland held the Dutch 2-2 in Gdansk yesterday, blowing Group A2 wide open.
Just the group winners qualify for Brazil 2027 automatically, with more favourable playoff routes on offer for higher finishers.
Ward has made clear that Ireland’s target is third, but this may not be the straight shootout widely anticipated between themselves and the Poles.
A result in Holland would shake things up further — and Ireland have stunned the Oranje Leeuwinnen before, holding them to a 0-0 draw in Nijmegen in 2017.
There has been no chat about that, however. “No,” said Ward. “They won’t even talk about the last win over France. They’re getting fed up with everyone talking about it. They want to talk about this new era so there’s no talk about that.
“We’re not here to make up the numbers, we want to achieve something. I believe that in 14 months we’ve come an awfully long way. If you remember my first press conference, the one thing I said is that I like to be exciting. I think we’ve shown that.”
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