Murphy hopes to keep Garden party going after Vincent’s victory
RATHNEW boss Harry Murphy remains unfazed that six of his charges are also involved in nearby Glenealy’s historic hurling campaign ahead of tomorrow’s Leinster Club SFC semi-final.
Rathnew’s neighbours will be the first Wicklow hurling team in a Leinster club final when next weekend’s intermediate decider against Ballyragget throws in.
Talisman Leighton Glynn, who was among the scorers at last week’s small-ball victory over St Anne’s, is one of a sextet now turning their attention to Kildare’s Moorefield tomorrow.
“That’s kind of curtailed our training. In fairness, we didn’t have the lads last week but we had them all this week,” Murphy says. “A lot of the lads have one foot in either club. All the boys will either have a Glenealy mother or a Rathnew father or vice-versa.
“But when they’re playing for Rathnew, they’re just totally and utterly Rathnew.”
The Co Wicklow side tomorrow aim to recreate the giant-toppling performance which saw them beat reigning Leinster champions St Vincent’s two weeks ago.
“To beat St Vincent’s, it was one of the biggest wins that the club has ever achieved. Yeah, there was heavy celebrations on Sunday night after taking a big scalp like that,” Murphy recalls.
PARTY
Although the former Wicklow boss insists that the Garden party will be over if they fail to beat Moorefield tomorrow afternoon.
And while he says it’s a big ask to beat the Kildare champions, who are widespread favourites amongst the bookmakers, he stresses it’s another to beat the odds once more.
“You don’t see too many of the bookies going around on push bikes. They know what they’re at,” he says.
“We caught them on the hop two weeks ago but there’s no guarantee we’ll catch them on the hop again.
“Moorefield deserve to be favourites because they’ve been down to Wicklow before and won, but we’d give ourselves a very good chance if we play as well as we can.”
Murphy had stood down as Wicklow boss in 2014, the last year Rathnew met Moorefield in Leinster, having earned the county promotion in Division 3 in his term.
Remembering that 0-17 to 2-7 quarter-final defeat he believes the battle will be won in the midfield, with Eanna O’Connor, son of former Kingdom boss Jack, posing problems in the forward line.
“It’ll be hard aul’ game around the engine room again. It’s hard to know what it’ll be like but they’re big lads. Hopefully we’ll put it up to them in there (midfield),” he says.
“We just train as we always have nothing special for any teams. We might light a few candles in the church alright, but I’m sure the people of Moorefield have been lighting candles as well.”