Never ever underestimate the value of the goalkeeper.
It takes something special for a player to win an All-Star despite without making it to the final, never-mind the semi-final. Kilkenny were knocked out at the quarters this year but it tells you all you need to know about Eoin Murphy’s contribution that he’s already considered as a shoo-in for hurling’s best 15 come the year’s end.
And the greatest shame about Kilkenny’s last eight exit is that we won’t get to see the Glenmore gem in full flight at the business stages of this year’s hurling championship. It’s hurling folk who are missing out there, but at least we can console ourselves with the endless highlight reels of his spectacular saves throughout this campaign.
Because Eoin Murphy was on a completely different level in between the nets this year. From the very moment he somehow denied an already-celebrating Bubbles O’Dwyer in the League final in Nowlan Park, to his final, dashing act to break Aaron Gillane’s heart for a second time in Semple Stadium on Sunday, it always took something special for a goal to be scored on Kilkenny.
Eoin Murphy teaching Bubbles O'Dwyer to never celebrate prematurely pic.twitter.com/u1kmGupWEd
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) April 9, 2018
Aaron Gillane gets the point after a superb save from Kilkenny's Eoin Murphy! pic.twitter.com/eo7brTdy8y
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 15, 2018
Kilkenny went down in Thurles, but by God they went down fighting and it was Eoin Murphy who led the fight.
He made five point blank saves in the home of hurling, bringing the 18’000 crowd to their knees with the absolute rarity of each one.
Inevitably, he was the first port-of-call in The GAA Hour Hurling Show’s Performance of the weekend section, and JJ Delaney delivered a fair summation of his talents.
“He’s a brilliant shot-stopper. He’s so comfortable on the ball. I think he’s better than him (Anthony Nash). I think he’s unbelievable,” said the eight time All-Star.
When you watch Murphy guard his nets with such distinction, with such mobility and with such grace, it begs the question as to whether this man would be a weapon out the field for Kilkenny. Let’s not forget, we’re talking about a Fitzgibbon Cup winning captain with WIT as a half forward, and an All-Ireland club winner from the same position.
And on the back of that, Damien Hayes asked of JJ the question that was busying everybody’s lips.
“Could Kilkenny use him in the forward line, and Kilkenny maybe get a lesser goalie?” he said.
Having played in front of him in the 2014 season, JJ knows just how calming Murphy’s presence is for a full back, and indeed a whole back-line. While the worth of a goalie is often wrongly questioned, JJ feels that the 27-year-old has made himself the Cats’ most valuable player over the last few years.
“If he got a good run at it, he would put his mind to it and you’d never know. He would not be too far away,” began JJ.
“But then you look at his performance yesterday and over the last couple of years. He’s so settling, he’s brilliant off his right or his left.”
Kilkenny couldn’t afford to take him out of there.
Indeed, Hayes made Colm Parkinson’s job as GAA Hour host very easy, asking JJ all of the tough questions.
“How did he end up in goals, did he play underage in goals for Kilkenny or what? Was it just Kilkenny needed a goalie, and one day, you were all messing hitting shots on goals and next thing Cody seen him, and he was stuck there ever sense?”
“He played in goal minor. When he came in with us, he was always a goalie,” replied JJ.
Indeed he was. Murphy was part of Kilkenny’s minor team that won the All-Ireland all the way back in 2008, along with Wally Walsh and Conor Fogarty.
If Damien Hayes was the Kilkenny manager, Murphy’s career might have been oh so different.
“He’s the most comfortable and the most natural goalkeeper on the ball in the country. It’s like he’s nearly playing at centre back. When he gets the ball he can go left or right and he can strike either way,” said the Portumna man.
You can listen to JJ, Damien and Wooly’s thoughts on the weekend’s action here.
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