Eoin Murphy has different standards to other goalkeepers.
He’s set those standards for himself over the last few years between the Kilkenny posts and he’ll always be judged by those. He hits those standards and raises them with his remarkable consistency in each passing game.
Johnny Glynn was the only Galway player to find a way past Murphy in 140 minutes of hurling in the last week. Glynn’s shot was a good one, it was an awkward punch-type effort across the goals and a tough one to deal with for any ‘keeper.
Murphy’s reaction immediately after the ball goes in is an example to any keeper. He’s unflappable, he doesn’t get cross and show a sign of weakness. He’s already focused on the next ball.
Johnny Glynn fires in a goal for @Galway_GAA pic.twitter.com/IZVQIlaQ3f
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 8, 2018
The majority of hurling keepers would have got a free pass for not saving it. It was across the body, it was powerful and it never looked like Glynn was going to pull the trigger so soon.
Eoin Murphy’s problem is that he’s a cut above the majority of goalkeepers. He’s set the bar so bloody high for himself over the last few years that Kilkenny supporters and hurling followers don’t expect anything to get by him.
That’s because his reflexes are absolutely instant. He’s always sprightly up on his toes and ready and able to hurl his body from one corner of his goals to the other in an flash.
He’s as dead eyed as they come, he’ll get a hurl to anything and the number of point blank saves he’s pulled off over the last few years is something else.
Speaking on Monday’s GAA Hour Show, Murphy’s former teammate JJ Delaney spoke of these standards.
“With the standards Eoin Murphy is after setting over the last couple of years, you might have been expecting him to stop it. Any time Eoin does get his hurl to it, he usually does stop it in fairness to him,” said JJ.
All the way through Kilkenny’s 2014 All-Ireland winning campaign, the presence of Scruff behind him gave JJ piece of mind that even if he made a mistake, that man would more than likely save him anyway. Indeed, the seven time All-Star argued that Murphy has kept his county competitive on countless occasions with his contribution from the nets.
“Then in the second half, he made an absolutely brilliant save from Jason Flynn near the end as well. You can’t criticise Eoin too much. Over the last few years, he’s been Kilkenny’s most consistent player, only for him, we’d have got hammered in a lot of games.
“He probably will be a little bit disappointed in himself, no more than James, any goal that goes in, a goal that goes in, any goalkeeper will take a bit of hurt from that.”
There’s no doubt about it, the 2016 All-Star will be hurting after that one, but that’s only a reflection of the level he’s reached. His immediate response to the goal going in, as well as his composure to save that rasper from Flynn shows it probably won’t happen again.
JJ has spoken in the past of his fondness of Murphy as a keeper.
“What I like about Eoin Murphy is when the balls coming in, he’s so comfortable on the ball himself,” he said. “He plays out the field for Glenmore, his club and only for he’s so good in the goal he could actually make it out the field for Kilkenny.
“He played centre back there for W.I.T there a couple of years ago and he was absolutely brilliant, he plays centre forward for the club. He’s so intelligent, you never see him miss-hitting the ball, right or left.
“He’s very comfortable on the ball, you know by him coming out past forwards, he’s very good at taking the tackle, actually avoiding the tackle more than anything.
He has it all, and it’ll be business as usual against Limerick on Sunday.
You can listen to JJ, Wooly and Damien’s thoughts on the weekend’s action here.
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