Bryan Murphy bleeds Cork blood but now firmly Kildare at heart

There is no procrastination on Bryan Murphy’s part. But indulge us in some dawdling before we reveal the whereabouts of his loyalties this evening.

In Bishopstown, he coached Brian Cuthbert as a boy when the club reached the 1988 Féile na nGael hurling final, losing out to Wolfe Tones. “That was my first experiencing of coaching,”says Kildare U21 boss Murphy. “Yeah, I’ve known Brian all my life.”

When they were minor managers of Kildare and Cork, the pair would bounce ideas off one another. Cuthbert made the trip to Navan in April to support his club-mate as his Kildare U21s bravely went down to Dublin in the Leinster final. Murphy returned the favour in Killarney last Saturday when he and his young son were drenched on the Michael O’Connor Terrace, their misery compounded when right in front of them Colm Cooper’s quick free turned the game in Kerry’s favour.