Brighton's loss is Munster's gain as multi-talented Shay McCarthy catches the eye

McCarthy was 15 when he got a trial with Premier League club Brighton but broke his ankle before travelling to England. He never got another chance. That has been to Munster's benefit

23-year-old Shay McCarthy has still only played 20 times for Munster across the last four seasons but there is clear momentum behind him now. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

Kickoff for Munster’s Champions Cup tie against Racing 92 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh wasn't far away when the province’s social media team approached Shay McCarthy during his pre-match wander around the famous sod.

“Shay’s day,” said the winger to the camera. “Limerick man in Cork.” It was certainly that. And it hasn’t been his only day this season.

McCarthy has played four times this term for his native province and, if his breakaway try against the Top 14 side is the most obvious clip for any highlights reel, then he has provided plenty more across his 320 minutes of play.

His input for the Ben O’Connor try that earned Munster a losing bonus point against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday was typical of his all-round influence as he came up with a jackal turnover and then a lovely offload to Alex Nankivell.

He had another turnover earlier and put in a big defensive shift with it. Add in the pace he showcased with that score against Racing and another 20-metre burst at the Aviva and that’s a lot of boxes being ticked.

“To be honest, just doing my job. It's just another game. I'm fortunate enough that I'm not someone who gets overly nervous before games. I just like to know that if I go out and do my job, that gives the team every chance. So that's it, really.” 

McCarthy has still only played 20 times for Munster across the last four seasons but there is clear momentum behind him now and, at just 23 years of age, he has plenty of runway to work with as he aims for higher ground again.

Last season was his least productive in Munster terms. He played just once for the province but still furthered his education by racking up more minutes for Young Munster in the AIL than anyone else at the club.

And there is an element of good timing right now as he gets his chance with a Munster attack under Jared Payne and Mossy Lawler that is allowing wingers to get their hands on the ball far more than had been the case. “I hope everyone can see it at home. It's very exciting to watch in comparison to the last few years,” he said.

It’s early yet to be looking too far beyond the immediate future with Munster and, in particular, Saturday’s URC game at home to the Sharks, but McCarthy looks like a player who should be quick to catch Andy Farrell’s eye.

The Ireland head coach likes his “untidy” wingers. That suggests a meeting of minds and styles so it will be interesting to see if he has done enough to earn an invite on to Mark Sexton’s Ireland ‘A’ squad that faces Fiji in Virgin Media Park in late November.

“You don't want me standing on the wing. You get cold. You want to get out there, you want to get your hands on the ball, you want to have some sort of influence on the game. So I always look to get in, get my hands on the ball, show it off, wherever it's available to me.” 

This isn’t where he always saw himself.

McCarthy played rugby before he tried soccer and Gaelic games but it was the beautiful game that captivated him growing, his liking for ‘Soccer Saturday’ on Sky Sports morphing into a serious CV on the field of play.

“I had a trial with Brighton when I was about 15,” he explained this week in his first ever media interview. “I was going over and I broke my ankle before the trial and never got called back. I was with Fairview Rangers in Limerick.”

He played centre-back and centre midfield and still treasures the All-Ireland medals earned with the club and with the Limerick District Schoolchildren League (LDSL). Limerick FC expressed an interest but League of Ireland wasn’t the path for him.

There was GAA too. He played both codes with St Patrick’s and was especially fond of Gaelic football. “I would have played football with Gearóid Hegarty,” he said. “He's an unbelievable hurler, but he's pretty handy at football as well.” 

His rugby story started aged just five with Richmond RFC and continued at St Munchin’s where he played McCarthy Cup and won a Junior Cup. Good enough to play Senior Cup a year early, covid put paid to his designs on that in sixth year.

There were Munster development training sessions in fifth year down on the Garryowen astro and his first taste of AIL with Young Munster before the late Tom Tierney invited him down to the province proper and an academy contract followed.

He moved up to a senior contract last term and is well on the way to earning an extension. Just more evidence of a player whose form is all the more welcome given injuries to the likes of Diarmuid Kilgallen, Calvin Nash and now Shane Daly.