JOHNE MURPHY REACTION
Emotional Murphy hangs up the boots after illustrious career
By Daire Walsh
A highly emotional Johne Murphy hailed the performance of his side after they fell to an agonising extra-time defeat to Old Wesley in a pulsating All-Ireland League Division 1B promotion semi-final at Donnybrook on Sunday.
Josh Miller’s 85th-minute penalty proved to be the decisive score in a nail-biting affair and the south Dubliners will now face UCC on Saturday for a place in this season’s top-flight.
“I think we’ve been carried off on our shield, to be fair. We gave absolutely everything. To keep going behind and put ourselves within an opportunity to win a game and then obviously have to go again for 20 minutes. The fight, you can’t question any of the lads,” the Naas player-coach remarked.
“It has been a fantastic journey and unfortunately we just didn’t come out the right side of it today. Credit to Wesley. They really stuck at it, they played some great ball and wish them the best of luck going forward into the final.”
As well as ending Naas’ latest bid for promotion, Sunday’s game also brought the curtain down on Murphy’s magnificent playing career. Either side of memorable stints at Leicester and Munster, the former Newbridge College student plied his trade in the All-Ireland League with Lansdowne and Naas.
Amidst the disappointment of falling short in his bid for a perfect parting gift, Murphy took comfort in bookending his journey at grassroots level.
“Today was a very emotional day for me, personally. It has been a tough day. My son was here. My mum, my dad. I’m gutted I’m not going to finish it getting to 1A, which was always the goal.
“It has been an incredible 16-year journey from my Lansdowne days to Leicester and one that I’m very, very proud of. To say that it started and finished in the AIL. I genuinely mean that. It’s a fantastic competition and long may it prosper and grow.”
Murphy is now set to embark on a new chapter in his life because not only is he hanging up his boots, but he is also stepping away from his coaching role at Forenaughts. While he didn’t reveal where his future will lie, an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
“I think all anyone can ever ask is that they leave the club that they’re with in a better place and I genuinely think that I’ve done that. The lads have really stepped up over the last four years. I’m moving on completely.
“I’m finalising that at present, but I’m looking forward to the next journey. All will come to light in the next two or three weeks. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and it’s onto new beginnings for me now.”
Despite losing their second promotion play-off in just three seasons, the future is certainly bright in Naas RFC. Having been at a forefront of the domestic game since his professional retirement in 2015, Murphy believes the tireless work of volunteers has helped to make Naas the club it is today.
“I think they’re putting in a lot of structures from the ground up. Like every single rugby club in Ireland, credit goes to the volunteers. Without the volunteers, the mums, the dads, who give up their spare time to out the hard graft in on a Saturday, Sunday morning. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday night.
“It’s an incredible commitment and a community commitment that the whole Naas greater area benefits from. So a genuine thank you and well done to all the volunteers that have committed to Naas Rugby Club from when it started,” Murphy added.