Sars driven by desire to avenge All-Ireland final heartache

“We've definitely taken learnings from that game as a collective. Management took a few new approaches to training. Some new guys coming onto the panel like Barry O’Flynn and Donal English have also brought a great sense of hunger. Coming back training after four or five weeks off, we just threw ourselves into it."

Fri, 03 Oct, 2025 - 06:18

Eoghan Cormican

With Sars focus firmly fixed on reaching the final Cork championship game of the year, rewinding all the way back to their opening championship game of 2025 might seem a strange place to start our conversation with half-back Bryan Murphy.

Sars’ opening championship game of 2025, of course, was not their county championship opener at the beginning of August. It was the All-Ireland club final on January 19. A chastening Croke Park visit. A dream that quickly died.

Their opponents, Na Fianna, forged eight clear by the 16th minute. Four minutes later, that lead hit double digits for the first time. By half-time, the gap was 12 strong. 1-16 to 0-7.

Bar the immediate post-match thoughts of losing manager Johnny Crowley, we’d not heard the take of any Sars player on how the day unsuccessfully and unforgivingly unfolded.

With the benefit of hindsight, our question to Murphy asked what had happened?

“We were very confident going into that game, but things just didn't work out. Looking back, obviously we have regrets, both as individuals and as a team. We just underperformed, I don't think it's down to any one thing,” he said of the comprehensive 2-23 to 0-20 defeat.

“Maybe as a collective we didn't take our chances early on in the game that we should have. Maybe the occasion got to us as a team. It's a daunting occasion but at the same time it's something you want to relish and be present in and make the most of.

“Psychologically, it is hard at half-time when you know the game is kind of gone but all you can do is keep grinding away. At the end of the day, you have to give kudos to Na Fianna.”

Players were given four and five weeks of pause following the end of a club campaign that ran for 11 months. There were changes to Johnny Crowley’s backroom team, changes in the panel. The different voices and fresh faces were welcome.

“Definitely there are regrets, but if we can make those wrongs right by winning a county championship, that'll massively help the group. And also, our primary goal last year was to win the county, which we didn’t achieve, even though we went on after that, so there is definitely a massive hunger in the group.”

A native of Causeway, 32-year-old Murphy is four years pulling on the blue of Sars. His timing was perfect. Johnny Crowley’s return and the Riverstown resurgence he oversaw was just around the corner.

Stationed out of Fermoy Garda barracks for seven years up until 2024, there were several seasons commuting back to North Kerry for club and county commitments.

He won a county championship with Causeway in 2019 and lined out for Kerry in the back-to-back Joe McDonagh Cup final defeats across the following two years.

The connection to Sars is through his wife Jen who hails from Glanmire. It is there they have purchased and put down roots. They’ve a daughter aged three and a second addition on the way in a very short couple of weeks.

“I'm probably the lucky one to have come into such a club at the time I did, but look, I contribute as best I can, and I feel I've improved as an individual and as a team player since joining Sars,” Murphy continued.

Having moved from Fermoy to Cobh station last year where he is now based as a detective, Bryan had developed close ties with work colleague and fellow Sars card-carrier Ray Ryan, who passed away earlier this year.

“A fantastic man in his time. Sadly missed by everyone in the club and in the station as well. Ray played with 90% of the team and coached the other guys that are coming through, so he's a massive driving force behind the team this year.”