Louth would welcome Murtagh ‘with open arms’

ARMAGH forward John Murtagh could move a giant step closer to becoming a Louth player by the end of the week.

The 28-year-old Dublin based Parnells club man revealed before Christmas he’s frustrated with the lack of championship game time received with the Orchard County in 2011. He returned from three years with New York in the hope of regular action with Armagh but only appeared as a sub against Down and Wicklow.

It’s led the Louth-born forward to consider a switch to his neighbouring county and Wee County managerPeter Fitzpatrick has said he’d welcome him with open arms. Murtagh is a highly rated forwardhaving won an AIB All-Ireland Club title with his native Crossmaglen Rangers in 2007 before a three-year stint with New York whom he scored four points for in the 2010 Connacht championship against Galway.

He’ll now push Armagh manager Paddy O’Rourke for a firm guarantee about match action in 2012 and if it’s not forthcoming then he may immediately pursue the Louth option.

“They’re back now this week [in Armagh] and I’ll probably make a decision at the latter end of this week,” said Murtagh.

“I’ll see what the situation is. It’s hard to know what the time frame is or whatever, I haven’t been speaking to Peter Fitzpatrick. I haven’t been speaking to no-one. It sort of all blew up but that’s the situation now. It’ll be the latter end of this week.”

If Murtagh does transfer to Louth and features in the 2012 championship then he’d join an exclusive club of players to compete in three of the four provincial championships.

“I’ve been all over the place – more clubs than Tiger Woods,” he joked.

Murtagh joined the progressive Parnells club early last year and works with the north Dublin outfit as a coach. He played alongside Wexford’s Andreas Doyle and Laois duo Colm Begley and MJ Tierney as they reached the quarter-final of the Dublin championship while the acquisition of Mayo’s Conor Mortimer will boost their chances in 2012.

It was surely Parnells that Dublin GAA Chief Executive John Costello had in mind when he controversially suggested in his annual report last month that non-native players moving to capital clubs be asked to declare also for Dublin.

Ironically, that would probably suit Murtagh fine as he appears to simply want regular county football though he doesn’t reckon he’d get a spot with Dublin. “If I went up to John and said, ‘Right, I’ll play with Dublin, are you going to guarantee my place on the panel?’, it wouldn’t happen,” claimed Murtagh.

“Everyone knows that Dublin footballers don’t take outsiders. Hurlers take a couple maybe but the footballers not. I think the main thing that John’s talking about is mainly to stop the transfer of out of town boys coming and that’s a way of doing it for him, to say, ‘Right, they have to declare themselves’. But that’ll not happen.”