| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Breandán Ó Murchú | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Midfield | ||
| Born | Carlow, Ireland | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| 2006 – present | Rathvilly | ||
| Club Titles | |||
| Carlow titles | 1 | ||
| Leinster titles | 0 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
| 2010– | Carlow | 4 (1-08) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 0 | ||
Brendan Murphy (Irish: Breandán Ó Murchú) is an Irish sportsman from Rathvilly, County Carlow. He plays football for the Carlow senior football team, and for his local club Rathvilly.
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Murphy played minor football for Carlow and was star of the team that lost the Leinster minor football championship final to Laois in 2007. Despite finishing on the losing side, and then being beaten by Galway in the All Ireland Quarter Final, his performances throughout the championship led to him being offered a rookie contract with the Sydney Swans AFL team in Australia.
His final game in Carlow before departing for Australia was in the U21 county championship final, which Rathvilly won by 0–5 to 0–2. Brendan scored Rathvilly's fifth point – a free from 40 metres out.[1]
In early November 2007, Murphy left Ireland and made the journey to Sydney, Australia to attempt a switch from Gaelic football to Australian rules football.[2][3] Murphy wrote a column in the Carlow Nationalist newspaper entitled Down Under about his time in Sydney.[4] He made an impressive start in 2007.[5] In March 2009, while playing for the Swans Reserves in the AFL Canberra league, Murphy badly injured his shoulder, requiring surgery, just weeks after being forced out of football by a foot injury.[6]
Despite a promising two years in Sydney, Murphy decided to turn down the offer of a contract extension to return to Ireland in late 2009 and resume his Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) career.
Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos expressed the club's disappointment at his decision, and their hope that he might be persuaded to reconsider a return to the club.[7] Murphy's return immediately reaped dividends for his club, as Rathvilly defeated Old Leighlin to win their first Carlow Senior Football Championship in five years, with Murphy playing an important role.
In 2010, with most of the 2007 minor panel on board, Carlow had serious ambitions of winning the Leinster Under 21 Football Championship for the first time ever. Murphy again proved to be their standout player. Lining out at midfield, he scored a vital goal in the Preliminary Round to beat Offaly in Tullamore, before Carlow dispatched Kilkenny easily in the next round. Murphy scored five points in the game.
Carlow faced Dublin in the semi final on Saint Patrick's Day in what proved to be the game of the championship. Once again, Murphy was the outstanding player on display. He scored 0-3 from play and dominated the middle of the field, but his Man Of The Match winning performance wasn't enough to beat the Dubs, who ran out one point winners in extra time, by 0-14 to 0-13. The game ended in controversial circumstances, when Murphy appeared to be fouled by three Dublin defenders close to goal. However, the referee awarded a free out where a free in would have left Carlow with an easy point to equalise, and Dublin survived, going on to win the All Ireland.
Murphy was awarded the Cadbury Hero of the Future award for March 2010 for his performances against Offaly and Dublin.
Carlow did not fare well in the Leinster SFC Championship, however. Despite a fine performance from Murphy (scoring 3 points from midfield), they were well beaten by Wicklow in the preliminary round, before losing by 6 points to Derry, a game Brendan missed after receiving a red card the previous day.
Murphy and Rathvilly returned to the Carlow Senior Football Championship final in October 2010, again facing Old Leighlin. This time, however, the outcome was reversed, with Old Leighlin triumphant. Game one ended level at 0-7 each. Rathvilly looked set for victory, after building up a three point lead in a low scoring game. Murphy was at the heart of it, kicking three great points, but also a couple of bad twides. A Seamus Kinsella free levelled matters in the dying seconds, to force the tie to a replay the following Sunday.
This presented Murphy with a problem, as he was due to line out for Ireland in the International Rules Series against Australia in Limerick the day before the replay. He decided to play both games, but was visibly tired for the county final, and saw a red card in the final few minutes as Old Leighlin prevailed on a scoreline of 1–11 to 0–7.
In 2011, Murphy missed almost all of Carlow's NFL Division 4 campaign due to an ankle injury sustained in their second game against Fermanagh. Carlow were ultimately denied promotion on the final day with defeat in a "winner takes all" game in Longford.
Better was to come in the Leinster SFC quarter final that June though, as Murphy kicked three spectacular points (including one directly from a sideline ball) in the final 10 minutes as Carlow shocked Louth in Portlaoise on a scoreline of 0-14 to 0-13. The result sent Carlow into their first Leinster SFC semi final since 1958. Unfortunately Carlow were defeated in the semi final by a far superior Wexford team. Murphy scored two excellent first half points, but Carlow were beaten 4-12 to 0-10 on the day.
Carlow's season ended two weeks later at Casement Park in Belfast when they were beaten by Antrim on a scoreline of 1-13 to 2-9. It was a brave Carlow performance in a game Antrim were expected to win convincingly. Despite being reduced to 14 players for the final 20 minutes, they reduced the deficit from five points in the closing stages, thanks in part to a spectacular Brendan Murphy goal, and ended up beaten by a single point.
Murphy again missed out on success in the club championship, when Rathvilly were beaten 11 points to 10 by Tinryland in the semi final.
Murphy was again chosen to represent Ireland in the International Rules series against Australia, and was this time part of Ireland's most successful trip ever "down under". Ireland defeated the Aussies over two legs by 130 points to 65.