Donegal advance as Tipp fall foul of Murphy

THE attacking genius of Michael Murphy has caused suffering for plenty teams in recent seasons and Tipperary’s U21s became the latest victims of the Glenswilly man’s prowess in Saturday night’s All-Ireland U21FC semi-final in Parnell Park.

Murphy was at the core of Donegal’s drive for success here, contributing half of their total, but his influence extended beyond scoretaking. He provided his team with a brilliant focal point and gave the second-half leadership that steered his side towards an All-Ireland date with Dublin in a fortnight.

That will be an evocative clash for Donegal football as they collide with the county their seniors trumped on a famous September afternoon in 1992 and indeed the game will represent the first All-Ireland football final a Donegal team has contested since that day.