When chips were down, Murphy stepped up to plate

Aidan Murphy’s All-Ireland winning performance on Sunday was all about extending to the limits of his physical powers, sustaining an emotional charge for over two hours and at the end to have the self-belief, energy and skill to play a knockout last shot.

He started and finished as a champion, but was under a lot of pressure from Cathal Toal in the second half. It’s not easy to stay razor sharp for two hours and twenty minutes of bowling. It’s probably even more difficult if you are two bowls clear after just a quarter of the score. He might have increased his odds in the middle third, but Tullysaran is a peculiar bowling road.