Kepers of the Flame

FOR Kildare No 1 Enda Murphy, it’s all about Leinster finals and Dublin buses.

For years, as the Lilywhites' back-up to Christy Burke, he was left kicking his heels on the big day. Now he's had two finals in successive years.

"It did get frustrating sometimes, wondering if you would ever get your chance. But all you had to do was keep plugging away and hope your chance will come. As it did.

"And it is a great feeling to be playing in two Leinster finals in a row. Last year, against the Dubs in front of a packed stadium was a great experience. Hopefully, we can rectify the result this week."

Murphy feels that Kildare have benefited from the lack of expectations heaped on their shoulders this year. In other years, with Mick O'Dwyer at the helm, Kildare were always expected to make a Leinster final at the very least.

In the spring, there was no honeymoon period for Pauric Nolan as his side struggled with relegation, and many pundits felt Longford would spring a surprise in the first round of the championship.

"There was less expectations on us this year, there still is," Murphy says, looking around Conleth's Park. "There isn't as much hype at all. In the past, there would be many more

people watching us than this. But this is the way we like it, it allows us to concentrate on the Leinster final, and it has allowed the younger lads to settle."

Most surprising about Kildare's appearance in this year's Leinster final has been the way those youngsters have relished the challenge.

After 10 minutes against Longford it looked like Nolan's gamble on youth had gone badly wrong. But Kildare settled and soon took control of the game, like they have their championship destiny.

"There were only seven of last year's Leinster final team that played against Longford, through one thing or another. And that Longford game did stand to them, they were under a lot of pressure for most of the game and in the final 10 minutes, they did come through and that helped them a lot.

"Those early Longford goals, every break that went their way, whatever happened throughout the game, they kept plugging away and they were

rewarded in the end. And all you have to do is look at the Meath game to show how that first match stood to us. Against Meath, the youngsters showed the same character when we were under pressure."

Murphy has been a busy keeper the past couple of seasons, with Kildare having no settled full-back last year and David Lyons still developing in the role this year.

Certainly, when the two finalists met in Portlaoise earlier in the year, Murphy was much busier than his counterpart Fergal Byron. "Laois played very well that day and we were beaten well.

"But that won't have any bearing on this final. The league is history now, we have made a lot of progress since then. Of course so have Laois. But that doesn't surprise me. Micko has pulled together a group of good footballers.

"The whole country knew that Laois had good footballers, they just needed someone to come in and pull them together. That is what Micko has done."