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The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shane O'Donnell says Michael Murphy's Donegal return left teammates starstruck
SHANE O'DONNELL had to see the proof for himself before accepting the return of the man with an idol's reputation was more than idle speculation. The 2 Donegal footballer Shane O'Donnell poses for a portrait at the national launch of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Series at the Croke Park 2 Michael Murphy of Donegal was hailed by Shane O'Donnell as the team's idol Having been convinced that it was too good to be true, O'Donnell, 23, was elated to encounter the three-time All-Star forward when he linked back up with the Donegal panel following the conclusion of his club commitments. He recalled: 'There were rumours going about. 'It was a closed camp and I didn't actually believe it until I'd seen it with my own eyes when I got back there. 'It's good to have him back. He's a great man and he's a great ambassador for Donegal.' READ MORE ON GAA O'Donnell's first season with Donegal looked set to be icon Murphy's last as the Glenswilly man stepped away at the end of 2022. Yet despite the two-year hiatus, he has picked up where he left off. Murphy, 35, was a key figure as He continued to play a starring role during the All-Ireland group stage and collected the man-of-the-match award after Sunday's win over Mayo. O'Donnell said: 'When you were in the club championship and he was playing with Glenswilly, they were flying with him there and he was performing well in all those games. Most read in GAA Football 'I kind of had a fair idea that he would've settled in well whenever he came back — probably not as well as what he's doing at the minute. 'He's performing in all the big games for us and he's coming away with individual awards as well. 'Just in time for Father's Day' - Dublin GAA legends welcome the birth of precious baby daughter 'He's doing very well and I'm very happy for him. There's no better man to be getting that recognition. He deserves it. 'He's a bit of an icon in there for a lot of us because there are a lot of young boys there that wouldn't have played with him beforehand. 'Thankfully I was there for his last year under Declan Bonner and Stephen Rochford so I was able to work with him for a year. 'But there's a lot of new faces there that wouldn't have seen him there before. 'I think a lot of us now just kind of idolise him and look up to him.' Donegal will be hoping for another Murphy masterpiece on Sunday when they host Louth in Ballybofey for their All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final. A draw was all they The hooter sounded just as match-winner Ciarán Moore collected a Shaun Patton kick-out. O'Donnell was one of several members of the Donegal set-up on the sideline who urged Moore to end the game by kicking the ball out of play. Having just been replaced by Eoin McHugh, he was 'fully aware' that a draw was worth just as much as a win in the overall standings. But he explained: 'It was probably a different story with the boys on the pitch. 'When you're caught up in those types of games and those types of moments, you're not thinking about other things. 'There were a lot of people and it was hard to get messages on board with the noise from the supporters. 'I think we were shouting a few things as well but they didn't hear us.' WELL DON Nevertheless, Donegal bagged their first win over Mayo since the 2012 All-Ireland SFC final. There was also significance in the fact that it was their first Championship victory over a Division 1 team from outside their own province since 2016. O'Donnell added: 'We always find in the last couple of years that we do well against Ulster teams. 'And maybe when we go outside of it, it's not the same. 'I suppose for us, we haven't beaten Mayo in a long time — not that I can think of anyway. 'But it was just nice to get that victory over them in the end.' Donegal footballer Shane O'Donnell poses for a portrait at the national launch of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Series at the Croke Park
Irish Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Icon' Michael Murphy hailed by Donegal team mate Shane O'Donnell
Shane O'Donnell isn't surprised 'idol' Michael Murphy is thriving on his return to the inter-county stage. Murphy's u-turn on his Donegal career last Autumn came out of the blue. And while many felt he might be an impact sub for Donegal, the big Glenswilly man has not only cemented a starting place, but has been the main main in recent weeks. Murphy's threat as a long kick out option for Shaun Patton and his dead ball ability have seen the 2012 All-Ireland winning captain even more central to Donegal's plans than many imagined. With Patrick McBreaty currently not seeing much game time and Oisin Gallen out of form, Murphy has stepped up to the plate once again. Murphy, who turns 36 in August, picked up the RTE Man of the Match award after last weekend's victory over Mayo and has been highly influential throughout this year's Championship. 'He's a bit of an icon in there for a lot of us because there's a lot of young boys there that wouldn't have played with him beforehand,' said O'Donnell. 'Now, thankfully I was there for his last year under Declan Bonnar and Stephen Rochford. 'I was able to work with him for a year but there's a lot of new faces there at the minute that wouldn't have seen him there before. "I think a lot of us now just kind of idolise him and look up to him, which is always a good thing I suppose - to have him there as well.' New faces like Finbarr Roarty and Ciaran Moore - both flying for Donegal this year - are getting their first experience of working alongside Murphy as team mates. O'Donnell says he's not surprised at Murphy's impact: 'When you're in the club championship, Glenswilly were flying with him there and he was performing well in all those games. 'I had a fair idea that he would have settled in well whenever he came back, probably not as well as what he's doing at the minute. 'He's performing in all the big games for us at the minute and he's coming away with individual awards as well. 'He's doing very well and I'm very happy for him because there's no better man to be getting that recognition, because he deserves it. 'It's good to have him back. He's a great man and he's a great ambassador for Donegal.'
