Murphy delighted to be back in heat of a Kerry summer

WAS he expecting it? Certainly not.

Of all the things on Diarmuid Murphy’s radar last autumn, a return to inter-county football was not one of them. The previous January he had hung up his boots and walked away from his days as Kerry goalkeeper with a quiet sense of satisfaction.

He had been forced to bide his time as deputy to Declan O’Keeffe before getting the number one jersey in 2004. But after that he made hay, hoovering up six Munster titles, four National Leagues, three All-Irelands and three All Stars in a golden six-year spell.