‘We don’t get enough respect’
Hurling captain says Conway is changing perceptions
KERRY senior hurling captain Bryan Murphy has spoken out about the lack of respect he feels the Kerry senior hurlers get. In an interview with The Kerryman the Causeway man revealed his frustrations with perceptions of the county team.
“Even at work there I get a slagging from the public, ‘sure you’re only with the Kerry hurlers’ and all this. I’d have to bite my tongue at times… because if they realised we put in as much work as the Kerry footballers. We do as many sessions. We do as many gym sessions,” he said.
“I don’t think people respect Kerry hurling for what it is. I know it’s a small pocket, but I always wanted to play for Kerry. I think it’s a huge honour to play with your county at any level. Be it with Kerry footballers or Kerry hurlers, you’re still representing your county – still representing your parish.”
Murphy did, however, suggest that the emergence of Lixnaw’s Shane Conway on the national scene has helped to challenge those lazy assumptions.
“I think Shane Conway has massively brought on the respect for Kerry hurling around the country,” he noted.
“To let them see that the talent is in the county and that talent can flourish in a place like Kerry. Obviously there will be other counties looking for him down the line. I have no doubt that other counties have already looked to get him jobs or whatever.
“I have great faith in Shane. He’s a passionate man for Kerry hurling and for Lixnaw. Obviously the Conways are massive advocates for the Lixnaw club and for Kerry hurling. I think all we can do is our best and whether people respect it or not is their business.
“We try to use it as a chip on our shoulder at times, the fact that people don’t seem to respect us as a hurling commodity. All we can do is work on our own performances as I say.”
Murphy, meanwhile, is working as a Garda in Fermoy and has found the lockdown period challenging in his professional as well as sporting life.
“It’s been completely different times for us, because we’re doing checkpoints on a daily basis,” he explained.
“You’re talking seven or eight check points during the day. All we’re trying to do really is to encourage people to stay at home. In fairness 99% of the people you talk to understand the seriousness of the situation. They’d know people who have had it or have elderly parents and all that.
“It’s a lot more community policing really, going to pharmacies and getting prescriptions for the elderly and delivering shopping and all that side of it, that’s been greatly publicised by the likes of Aidan O’Mahony on social media.
“From our point of view it’s not about putting the foot down. It’s about encouraging people to do the right thing. 99% of the people will do the right thing anyway, but it’s the 1% that don’t care and have no regard for the elderly or the vulnerable. They’re the people you have to watch out for.”
As the lockdown begins to ease the challenges for Murphy and his colleague are set to become subtly different .
“Thing are becoming a bit more open and you can understand that,” he said.
“You have to use you discretion and understand that they have to get out of the house for some part of the day to keep their sanity. Common sense usually prevails at the end of the day.”