THERE IS ONE shoulder charge that Vinny Murphy remembers above all others, which is a little surprising given that he doled out roughly 10,000 of them over the course of his Dublin career. His best was from 2001, when Murphy went through his hardman renaissance with the Dublin team. His remit, in his own words, was simple; to go on and “wind people up and make a mark.” He did just that against Offaly in the Leinster Championship.
“In the Offaly game in 2001, I hit my opposite number and whatever way I connected, I lifted him right off the ground. It is all about core strength. You need to hunch down and drive up through your marker,” Murphy said.
Murphy was a bit of a rock star among Dublin fans in 2001, and they all wanted him to literally and figuratively deliver his greatest hits. His introduction off the bench and subsequent shoulder barges into the opposition would turn Dublin supporters into a Roman crowd who demanded opposition blood; and it was usually Royal blood they were after. Murphy led the revival that earned a draw with Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final in Thurles, and became far more beloved that year than he had been almost 10 years earlier, when he won an all-star.
“When I came back in 2001 I got more respect and adulation than I did when I was one of the best forwards in the country. In 2001, I wouldn’t have been within an ass’s roar of the best forwards,” Murphy said.
Dublin football has changed a lot since Murphy left the scene, and many liken the bruising impact Eoghan O’Gara makes on the pitch to that of the marauding Murphy in 2001. For his part, Murphy agrees and thinks that if O’Gara played in a different generation, he might be appreciated even more.
“I think he is unlucky that he is playing with so many talented players because the amount of ball he wins is exceptional. He stands up for himself. Some people might not like it but I admire him. Although, if O’Gara tried some of the stuff he does back when I was playing in the 90′s, he would probably be looking for his head at the other end of the field,” Murphy said.
While acknowledging how much gaelic football has evolved in terms of skill and speed, Murphy still prefers the days where himself and Meath’s Mick Lyons could exchange physical pleasantries without starting an inquest on the Sunday Game. If red cards like Lee Keegan’s were given during Murphy’s heyday, it is unlikely that the forward would have seen the end of many championship outings.
“Refs are blowing for everything now and I wish it was more like hurling. Hurling is almost like an abandoned sport where they let some things go. There is something noble about that — two lads going at it and it gets the crowd excited. That is how I think football should be played,” Murphy said.
While Murphy thinks that some physicality has left the game, he names Marc Ó Sé as one of the toughest players today. And while he does add that he would fancy his chances against any of today’s defenders in the physical stakes, he reserves special mention for Michael Darragh MacAuley.
“This is a golden age of Dublin football, and some of the players in the team are all-time greats. Words fail me when I try to describe MacAuley. When he finishes up he will be alongside Brian Mullins as the godfather of Dublin football. But hopefully over the next few years Dublin can go for their own drive for five and do something Kerry couldn’t,” Murphy said.
Murphy is still playing club football with St Monica’s, but despite holding down the fort in the forward line, he doesn’t think he could make it off the bench this afternoon against Donegal, even to just give one more shoulder.
“No, there is nothing out there for me in the wide open spaces of Croke Park. I would age a year for every step I took onto the pitch,” Murphy said.
