TWO SWINGS OF Paul Murphy’s right boot in the heat of Kerry-Dublin championship battles.
The first in 2019, the day of the draw as Kerry sought to stop the march to five-in-a-row.
Early in the second half Murphy broke the defensive line, charged towards goal in front of Hill 16 and unleashed a stinging drive that Stephen Cluxton got a fingertip to divert the ball onto the bar and it rebounded clear.
“He got a tiny touch,” recalls Murphy.
“I don’t think it was immediately clear for people watching in the stand or watching at home. I was kind of between whether I should have tapped it over. Now we scored a point from the ‘45 that followed so that was the same result. I was kind of between taking a solo and shooting. I was just on the edge of four steps so I was probably kicking from further out that I would have like. I just kind of blazed it really without simplifying it too much.
“He stepped, gone to his right and it was going to his left I think looking back. He just got a fingertip to it, it was a great save, but those are the breaks.”
Move onto last July and the last few passages of play in that epic end game of the All-Ireland semi-final. The teams are deadlocked, Kerry hold their nerve from a short kickout to retain possession and when the ball is worked to Murphy, fresh off the bench, shows the ambition to boot a kick pass towards David Clifford.
He is fouled, Sean O’Shea lines up the resultant free and Kerry’s season takes flight.
“I probably didn’t think about it (the pass to Clifford) and a few people maybe complimented me for taking on the kick after,” says Murphy.
“And then I started thinking about what if that had gone wrong? What if Davy Byrne had got out in front of Clifford and came down the pitch? It could have obviously been a very different outcome.
“You just kind of don’t think about it, you’re just thinking when you get the ball, you’re not thinking about the consequences, you’re thinking what can I do?
“David made a run out and I went for the kick and, look thankfully, it came off. Maybe if you’d more time on the ball you’d second guess yourself and turn back, but if you’ve less time on the ball at times it helps, you do it a bit more instinctively.”
Overcoming Dublin was a landmark for the Kerry group.
“Whatever way you look at it [2022 semi-final] it was a huge victory for us. Particularly from the 2019 game, you’ve a lot of guys involved still from those finals, so for us to have beaten them in a championship game in Croke Park, that was a big moment. We know we can beat Dublin in a championship game in Croke Park, last time we played them we beat them so that’s a real source of confidence for us going into the next day.”
Murphy is now cast in the role of a starter in defence. He incurred an injury in a league game against Donegal in the spring of 2022 that curtailed his playing time heading into championship. Wrestling back a starter jersey was not easy.
He has enjoyed a clear run at the 2023 season, the boost of All-Ireland club success with Rathmore in January and then pushing on to nail down a place in the Kerry rearguard.
The right mindset was essential for his preparation last year.
“Was it frustrating? It probably was frustrating, but I mean you can’t be selfish about it. If someone who isn’t starting, is moping around the place, being negative about things, that brings down the energy of the group. You’re less likely to get back in.
“Whatever frustration might be there from a personal point of view you try to channel it into training well. You’ll probably be marking a starting forward in training, so try challenge him well, get him ready for the weekend and by doing that you’re enhancing your own chances as well. If you’re training well, that will probably help you then.”
