Paul Galvin has been there.
One of the most energetic, industrious, hard-working players the sport has ever seen was once a prime score-getter.
The Kerry legend became known and will always be remembered for his reliability in the number 10 jersey. His lung-bursting runs from end-to-end, his passing, his tackling, his break-ball winning abilities were some of the best Gaelic Football has witnessed but the game he played when he was younger disappeared.
The scores had to be sacrificed so Galvin could help out his college and his county in a different role and it was hard to get them back.
He wonders if the same has happened to the versatile Michael Murphy.
The Donegal captain won Young Player of the Year in 2009 alongside Footballer of the Year Paul Galvin and the Kerry man misses him in that full forward role.
In five championship games so far this season, Murphy has amassed two scores from play. It’s not to say that he hasn’t contributed – of course he bloody has – but this is one of the greatest players the game has seen. It’s one of the greatest scorers the game has seen.
His set pieces are still on point but the Glenswilly man’s record for the 2016 championship reads like this:
0-1 v Fermanagh (0-1f)
0-3 v Monaghan (0-2f)
0-5 v Monaghan (0-4f, 0-1 45)
0-2 v Tyrone (0-1f, 0-1 45)
0-2 v Cork (0-1f)
And Galvin is wondering if a little bit of what happened to him is happening to Murphy who is being thrown in and out of full forward but finding himself as deep as half back for large spells.
“The danger I see with him playing so deep is, I started my football career at corner forward,” the Kingdom legend said on SportsJOE’s GAA Hour football podcast.
“I was a scoring forward. Corner forward, full forward with my club, with school, with Kerry minors and I was a scoring forward at county championship level.
“Then I went to college at UCC and that move to wing back happened and then I moved onto Kerry and that defensive half forward thing happened.
“I lost that scoring instinct that I had growing up when I was always thinking of scores, scores, scores. Playing out the field did dull that instinct in me. It’s just something that you’d watch for with Michael Murphy.
“When you’re playing that deep, you lose that expectation that you’re going to score this much or that much or get chances.
“He’s brilliant inside. He’s a great footballer, he’s brilliant out the field – he’s effective out the field. But that’s just something I’m watching for in him because I’ve kind of experienced it myself to a degree.”
Listen to the full chat with Colm Parkinson below (Michael Murphy talk begins at 1:06:25). Click here to subscribe on iTunes.
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