Keeper says Lilywhites are ready to strike again
It’s been a frustrating time for the county since that last provincial success in 2000. Twice they’ve been beaten in Leinster deciders since, and the other two years they said farewell to the championship with all guns blazing.
When Kildare play, the day is seldom dull. Two years ago they served up two of the tastiest summer treats against Laois and Roscommon, and though they failed to match those standards last year, they still exited stage left after a thriller against Offaly in the qualifiers.
This weekend’s tussle with Laois has again stirred up memories of that stirring clash between the counties in 2003 when, even with three players sent off, the teams managed to produce one of the best footballing spectacles of the entire championship.
“For one reason or another over the past few years, between injuries and suspensions, we’ve been unfortunate even though we’ve played well,” said Murphy who is a mechanical engineer with Intel. “At the moment, though, we’re free of injuries and everyone is starting to play well at this stage. We’ve built up a bit of momentum so far this year and we’re hoping to continue that.”
Though they impressed greatly against Westmeath the last day, Murphy doesn’t care a whit for attractive football this summer and when you thumb through his CV it’s hard to blame him.
Though he was first called up to the senior panel in 1995, he had to cool his heels on the bench for the guts of seven years while Christy Byrne jealously guarded the keeper’s shirt.
His competitive debut belatedly arrived, after four years of waiting, in a league game against Meath and by the time he finally ousted Byrne in 2002 he had played largely a spectator’s role through the glory days of 1998 and 2000.
A third Leinster medal this year would undoubtedly take pride of place on the mantelpiece should they manage it next month, and they will start Sunday’s game with a momentum Laois will be hoping, rather than expecting, to match.
Form can be the most fickle of companions, as Murphy knows, though the wave of abuse following the edgy win over Wicklow was washed away by the dethroning of Westmeath in the last eight.
Kildare had mixed the good with the bad already this season, losing their opening two league games in miserable fashion before turning the corner with a win against Laois, followed by four more victories that saw them come up an inch short of the semi-finals.
“Again, for those first games we were missing maybe four or five of the team who started the next five games, so there’s been a bit of consistency in the team the last while and that’s probably one of the factors as well. For the last five league games we were virtually able to pick the same 15 every time.
“There was a fair bit of criticism of the team after the Wicklow performance and maybe that was justified, but fellas felt it. At that stage we had to stand up and do something about it, and they did with great spirit and great character. That told in the end.”
The boot of John Doyle played its own significant part as well, as it did again against Westmeath, but ask Murphy where the winning and losing of this game is and he points you to midfield.
Páidí Ó Sé’s much vaunted pairing of Rory O’Connell and David O’Shaughnessy were completely overwhelmed by Kildare’s hunger and snaffling talents in the middle third the last day, and Laois have struggled to commandeer their own ball all year.
“Both teams are very strong around the middle and it’s going to be important to get a grip around there,” is his assessment. “We have some good players throughout the middle, as do Laois, and it’s going to be a question of ‘on the day’. They’re a very good team and any team that wants to beat them will have to be on top of their game. We’ll have to be on Sunday.”
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