NO BLAME GAME WILL BE PLAYED
THE wishes of players who decide against returning to play this year will be respected, Michael Murphy believes.
A survey by the Club Players Association last month revealed that 22 per cent of those polled were not prepared to resume without a coronavirus vaccine being available, though the mood is generally more optimistic now.
There are bound to be many, however, that will still be reluctant if they or people within their circle are vulnerable to the virus.
Murphy – captain of Declan Bonner’s (above) Donegal team – said: “There have been people who have been comfortable with it from day one, there are people who have had reservations about it.
“How would I try to put it? If someone doesn’t want to go to training, or someone doesn’t want to commit for the year, you might ring them up and say, ‘Listen, great opportunity here. Get back in and give it a lash and give it a go and see how you feel about a couple of weeks back’.
“But I do feel honestly at the moment if a player was to put their hand up within a squad and say they weren’t comfortable with it, the severity of this one is resonating a bit differently and that person will be respected.
“It hasn’t happened as of yet but as we get nearer the time, if one of the players in our group wasn’t comfortable with it, I think it will be respected.”
Murphy admits it’s “highly likely” that players will opt out in places but perhaps not in the same numbers as might have been the case a few weeks back.
“I just feel that, due to the measures that have been lifted over the last 10 days, it gives me the confidence to say that we can start getting out and about a bit more.
“Obviously not be complacent but just feel a lot more confident going out and about meeting people now whereas if you asked me that question a month ago, I feel that we would have been looking at a way to facilitate a large chunk of players not playing.
“But just seeing other sports up and going and seeing the measures they have put in place, we can learn from them.”