Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A CUT ABOVE THE REST..
Murphy goes under knife to clear injury and get back to his best
THE YEAR 2017 was a painful one for Michael Murphy, and not just because Donegal were out-classed by Tyrone and Galway in the Championship. Murphy recently underwent a Gilmore’s groin repair, ridding him of the discomfort he had felt for over 12 months.
“When you get up to training, you get it warmed up good and early and get through it no bother, but the next morning it can be nagging,” explained the Tir Chonaill sharpshooter.
“It got to the stage where it was frustrating. The (International series) trip to Australia complicated it. It was a torture getting yourself right and ready, so I said when I came back I’d get it done.
“It was just ongoing. A nagging feeling, really, when twisting, turning, that kind of thing.”
Murphy will return to full training next week and is targeting a return midway through the league, a little earlier than first envisaged.
“I’m feeling a lot better definitely, so it’s been a good success,” said the 28-year-old. “I’m back running and I’ve been able to progress and push it on over the last few weeks.”
So it’s a positive start to 2018 and he’s feeling positive about what’s to come after admitting last summer wasn’t good enough.
With an injection of youth filling the gaps left by a swathe of retirements in Donegal, a promising League campaign last spring gave way to a hugely disappointing Championship.
“It wasn’t good enough. There was a lot of younger lads last year and they’re going to be another year down the line, and you’ve the addition of the likes of Odhran Macniallais and Leo Mcloone with their experience,” Murphy said. “Hopefully we’ll strike the right blend, but time will tell.”
Murphy admits it was a surprise to him that Rory Gallagher left in the wake of the Galway defeat, given that he had agreed to stay in the hotseat for a further two years.
“That was the idea alright, but sport is a funny thing,” he said. “As Rory knows, and we all know, it’s a results-based business.
“Us as players let the whole thing down with our performances, and I suppose Rory just thought it was time to move on.
“It was disappointing. We all got on very, very well with him but it all came down to results. Unfortunately, we didn’t produce them as a group of players. We went in nervous, but weren’t really worried. We were prepared, every box was ticked. But the performances weren’t there and that’s the hard thing to stomach.
“Now it’s really us as players that have to stand up. That’s the same message that was there last year – and it’s something that we failed to do.
“That’s gone. That’s over. We have Declan (Bonner) now. Things have been good so far.”
Murphy gets animated at the mention of former room-mate Karl Lacey’s backroom appointment and feels the player are already feeling the benefit of his knowledge. Bonner and Murphy have already discussed the probability that he’ll move futher up the pitch again, where he can do real damage.
With the advent of the Super 8s, Murphy is adamant about where Donegal’s ambitions lie.
“You need to be getting to the provincial final,” he acknowledged.
“That’s where the big days are going to be – and that’s realistically where you want be in order to compete at that latter end and get to that Croke Park stage. We didn’t get there last year for the first time in a number of years.”
Us as players let the whole thing down with our performances and I suppose Rory just thought it was time to move on..