'He is Fenton level' – the importance of Down’s prize bull Odhrán Murdock

The 23-year-old midfielder is not only leading the way for Conor Laverty's Mourne men but is in the discussion for the best footballer in the country at the moment.

TOP MAN: Down powerhouse Odhran Murdock on the surge past Donegal's Finnbarr Roarty in last Sunday's shock Ulster SFC win in Letterkenny. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

In the GAA, numbers are often an imperfect shorthand. Sometimes, they simply confirm the evidence of our eyes that a certain player has talent. Other times, they help quantify the sheer importance of it. To understand Odhrán Murdock’s significance to Down, you have to look at their kickouts.

Last year, they targeted their 23-year-old midfielder with an astonishing 79 kickouts. The next closest player was 60 behind. Per GAA Insight’s comprehensive database, no other player in the country was targeted as often.

In the outstanding Ronan Burns, they have a goalkeeper who can get creative and pick out short options to compensate for a lack of bulk elsewhere. But that only carries a team so far. Sometimes in the storm, there is a need to steer clear of trouble and launch it. For a ferociously athletic but otherwise undersized vessel, Murdock is the lighthouse.

“He is Fenton level,” says three-time All-Ireland winner with Tyrone, Collie Holmes. He is currently manager of Murdock’s club, Burren.

“I have worked with a lot of players and he is at the top. He is 23, most players don’t peak until they are 26 or 27. He can fetch, he can tackle, he can score. He is a block of a lad.” 

The result against Donegal was a shock to much of the country last weekend, but how Down performed was no surprise to Jim McGuinness. They had their homework done and he had been involved with the Down panel in 2023.

“Murdock was unplayable,” McGuinness said afterwards. “In my opinion, he is in the top couple of players in the country.” An All-Star nominee in 2025, the ascent of this star has been charted for a long time now. Burren can tell you all about the night the light started to shine.

Holmes played with Murdock’s father, Gavin, in university. He was a nimble inside forward. His son established himself further out the field from the outset.

“He was playing U16s and the seniors were having an in-house match,” says Holmes.

“The seniors went to the U16 manager and took him and someone else. See they had 28 players and needed two. He came in, togged out and absolutely cleaned out midfield. The boys were saying, ‘holy shit.’” 

Underage, all he knew was success. A golden crop came through the club demolishing everything in its wake. When Down won the U20 Ulster title, Burren posted a picture on social media congratulating their representatives in the side. There were 15 players in the frame.

Ulster University manager Barry Dillon is well aware of what it is like to rely on and confront Murdock. That is where the towering midfielder played his Sigerson football. Dillon, who is also involved with Mayobridge, agrees with Holmes’ Fenton comparison. In fact, they went toe-to-toe last summer.

“He was over in America and took him actually,” laughs Dillon, recalling the Chicago semi-final between John McBrides and Padraig Pearses. Murdock’s Pearses went on to win the championship.

“Donegal tried to send Langan after him last year then, but he obviously missed the last day.” In 2023, Murdock was one of four Irish prospects to take part in the AFL Combine in Australia. It involved a series of physical tests including a 2km time trial, standing vertical jump, 20m sprint and agility test.

While several clubs remained in contact, an offer was not forthcoming. It was around this time that a young man began to navigate the process of recovering from inevitable setbacks.

Burren were beaten in back-to-back Down SFC finals. Murdock missed the Sigerson season when his university won it and lost out after extra-time in the semi-final to eventual champions DCU last year.

In 2024, Down lost out to Armagh by a point in the Ulster SFC semi-final. He was ultimately named in the Tailteann Cup Team of the Year as they earned a consolation prize.

Like many great competitors, he has a low tolerance for losing. Those who have soldiered with him refer to a short fuse. Such combustibility is a natural consequence of an absolute devotion to football.

Before the Division 3 league final this year, the midfielder was asked what he does to switch off from the game. His answer was telling: he spends his working days travelling to local primary schools to coach football.

This progression was helped by a steady hand at the wheel. Conor Laverty was his U20 manager as well. He understood the need to allow a gem to flourish.

“I’m happy for them,” says Dillon. “Dealing with county managers and all, Conor Laverty is one of the better ones. He is a football man. He understands the game and wants the lads looked after. He was always asking about Murdock. That is his prize bull.

“Odhrán is the silent assassin. He seems shy and reserved. I heard someone say he ran off the pitch instead of doing the Man of the Match interview last Sunday. I can see that. Now he doesn’t say much, but we went on a training camp to Portugal and outside of football, he was good craic. In football, he is on it. When he does speak in the dressing room, everyone listens. He is the alpha male there.

“He has matured too. Four years ago, he would score the odd one with his left foot. Now he can score routinely with both. Four years ago, he played in bursts. Now he is consistently a colossus in midfield. The Australia thing, I don’t know what they are looking for. Someone should be sacked for turning him down.” 

For Holmes’ final Celtic Cross in 2008, he lined out with Enda McGinley as his midfield partner. As the game evolved, so too did the demands placed on midfielders. Now, with his scoring threat and kickout prowess, there is a daunting ask for any opponent as to whether they send someone out to explicitly man-mark Murdock, in the Jack Barry on Fenton style.

That is fraught with risk. Such shadowing will limit the ability of a central player to contribute to their own attack. Then there is the obvious gamble of someone sacrificing their game for a task they still might not be able to complete. Can Armagh afford to do that? Can anyone?

“We had the defensive midfielder and the attacking midfielder, one complemented the other. But he can do both.

“To put one man on him, you can lose out so much. Plus he can handle himself too. So it takes a good man to slow down, I mean someone can go out to sacrifice their game and it still might not work.” Beating both of last year’s provincial finalists in the space of seven days would be a seismic feat. Murdock is central to that chance. The reward is a first Ulster decider since 2017, the securing of their place in the Sam Maguire series and another blockbuster day on the big stage.

Where he belongs.