When Paul Murphy announced his retirement on Friday morning, it was short, swift and to the point.
Credit to him, he joined The Saturday Show once the dust had settled the following morning to discuss the road to retirement from the inter-county scene and what comes next.
“I just wanted to get my message across I suppose”, said Murphy of Friday morning’s announcement.
“It’s the time of the year for GAA personnel to be retiring. I just wanted to say my few thanks and get the message across that I was stepping away. Short and sweet, I’d like to think.”
Making the announcement is one thing, but how did he arrive at the decision to call it a day?
“It’s different for every player”, he continues.
“Regardless of what county you’re in, we’re very lucky in Kilkenny that if you’re lucky enough to wear a black and amber jersey, you’re most likely to have great days and days in Croke Park. That can make it a bit tougher to walk away from really.”
“Every player has their own commitment, their own family commitment, work commitments, and I’ve been on the road for ten years. There’s been a few of us there, even before that, as part of training panels with Kilkenny. OK, we might not have been travelling on the big days but we were just as committed as anyone that was.”
“I’m at it maybe 13 years at this stage, before that minor with Kilkenny, under 16s, and I’m lucky enough under 14 as well. It’s almost 20 years really you’re on the road with it and committed to Kilkenny hurling.”
“Over the last few months, there’s younger lads coming through. We maybe didn’t get the games this year. You just have to reflect on your own experiences. It’s been great over the years and I’ve ticked all the boxes, I would feel. ”
Timing
“I just felt the time was right, I’ve got so much going on in the future and coming up”, says Murphy.
The Danesfort clubman is due to get married this coming December (2021) and excitement between the families is ramping up.
“It’s a very exciting time for me and I’m busy in work so I say “look, you know, there’s plenty of fellas coming through here tackling for jerseys” and it was a good time to step aside and say thanks.”
“It took a few months, a few weeks to decide what I was going to do but after Christmas I’d been chatting to a few people, got their advice. I’m confident in my decision and very happy I’ve made the right decision.”
Listen above to the full interview as Paul joined Edward Hayden on The Saturday Show to talk through his decision to retire, working with and being an influence on local school students, Kilkenny fans and supporters and much more.
