RUGBY: JOHNE MURPHY INTERVIEW
Crucial period of season coming up for Murphy and Naas
By Daire Walsh
WITH just six games left in the regular Division 2A season, Naas RFC remain in the hunt for promotion to the second-tier of the Ulster Bank League.
Since announcing his retirement from professional rugby last August, Ellistown’s Johne Murphy has taken on a player/coach role with the Forenaughts outfit. With eight wins from 12 outings to date this term, he acknowledges that they are currently in a strong position, and always felt that they would be capable of forging a strong promotion bid.
“When I came on board, I felt that the group was there that certainly could push for promotion. With the development of the club, and the area that the club is in, and the development going around,” Murphy remarked.
“I think in general it has been going well so far. Hopefully with the ground hardening up coming into February, March time, we can kick on and not just push for the top-four, but try and push Banbridge for the automatic spot for qualification.”
Six points currently separate second-place Naas and divisional pace-setters Banbridge, and in order to gain automatic promotion to Division 1B, a team has to secure the top spot in the third-tier.
The second, third and fourth teams in 2A will then enter into a play-off with Division 1B’s ninth-placed team, but with a crunch tie coming up against the Ulster men at Forenaughts this Saturday, Murphy believes they can close the current gap in a meaningful way.
“Yeah look, I think the next three to four weeks are really going to tell a lot. We play the two university sides – UCC, Queen’s – and we play Banbridge at home. It’s a big week.” “If we can claw them back, then we feel we can go on a run. We’ve won the last three, so it’s just about, as I said, trying to quicken the pace of the game, keep the tempo up. Hopefully the ground is hard next week, so we can move it about a bit.”
With so many of his former schoolmates from Newbridge College still involved with the club, the former Cill Dara minis star had always planned to put on his boots once again, although he did find the balance between coaching and playing to be quite difficult at first.
“I felt that I always kind of wanted to play, because a lot of the guys I was in school with, that would have played throughout my time with Newbridge College, are still playing with Naas.”
“I struggled with the balance at the start between coaching and playing, but then [you have] Johan Taylor, who is our forwards coach, and then Dan Van Zyl [Naas head coach]. He is kind of a mentor for me personally, and then also as a general advisor for the team. They’ve been through the player/coach stuff, so I kind of relied on them a lot, and I’ve kind of got a very good balance now and I’m back very much enjoying it.”
Away from the field of play, the expansion of Naas as a community-based rugby club is beginning to take hold. ‘A Beyond Twenty Twenty Two’ forum will be launched in Palmerstown House on February 4 as a lead in to the club’s centenary in six years’ time, and with Barretstown also on board as Naas’ charity partner this season, Murphy has been impressed with the work that is taking place behind the scenes.
“The club is expanding. We’re going through an overall development plan in the club as part of the Vision 2022, with the centenary year in the club. We’re trying to build it from the ground up.”
“We have Barretstown as our charity partner. We’re trying to get a bit more into the community as well, and trying to have a big community base in the club. We’ve raised nearly €7,500 for Barretstown so far this year. Our target was always to make €10,000 in the season.”
Murphy also had a role with St Mary’s College in this year’s Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup, but his old alma mater – Newbridge College – still hold a place in his heart. He earmarks their opponents on Wednesday, Belvedere College, as one of the competition’s favourites, but he also feels that Newbridge shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Yeah, I think momentum is a massive thing in the cup. Especially with the way the draw is. It’s an open draw every round. Newbridge are a good side, they’re kind of building on the fifth years they had from last year, which was a very good cup team.
“Belvedere are probably one of the favourites, so it is a tough one first up. I certainly think that if Belvo underestimate Newbridge in any way, they’re going to be in for a bit of a fright,” Murphy added.