Had a quick chat with Michael Murphy on Monday evening – enjoying a break in Le Coffee Factory close to his sports store in Letterkenny – when he reflected on his code changing week-long stint with Clermont Auvergne.
Enjoyed the experience immensely, he said, and one he wouldn’t mind repeating at some stage, he ventured to add (though I don’t believe he was hinting that he’d be switching sports any time soon).
BY PADDY WALSH
The Glenswilly man played with the French club’s under-23 side and found it tough but rewarding. Look out for the forthcoming broadcast of the R.T.E. reality programme ‘Toughest Trade’ to find out exactly how he got on.
His typical modesty didn’t allow him to tell me that Clermont representatives were hugely impressed with his abilities and his adaptation to the oval ball game.
You may have read the quotes from former England rugby internationals, Nick Abendanon and David Strettle, currently attached to the French side, both of whom indicated that the big man hadn’t looked out of place during any of the training sessions they had undergone last
week.
“He’s obviously very well athletically built. He was there or thereabouts in terms of lifting the same weights as us in the gym,” Abendanon maintained, adding that he had also been impressed with Murphy’s speed and his agility off the mark.
The Donegal star’s “catching and kicking” had further made an impression on Strettle – someone should forward him the video of Glenswilly’s County Final win over Kilcar, not to mention countless performances in the green and gold, as a solid reminder of just how good he is in this department.
Murphy had obviously been providing some insight into the club game here with Strettle commenting on the unity born from growing up with and playing with people from your own locality.
For the professionals of Clermont Auvergne, there’s the downtime after the strict training regimes.
“But those guys” – the G.A.A. part-timers – “don’t get it. When they’re needing downtime, that’s when they’re actually going to do their proper jobs, doing their nine-to-five work. It’s really impressive.”
An ambassador for the G.A.A. in every sense is our Michael and I’m just wondering – and wondering more given how well he equipped himself in the gym and training pitches in France – how soon (if ever?) Murphy and his team-mates and rivals on the inter-county scene will get the rewards surely owed to them in return for what they put into their sport.
OVERALL A WORTHY WINNER
It was one of the most memorable days of the Rio Olympics. And for
those of us present – and I was delighted to count myself among them –
an occasion to live long.
Not quite the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas last August where the rowing finals were taking place but, nevertheless, close enough to feel the emotion of the whole event or, at any rate, the race that featured Sinead Jennings and Claire Lambe.
The Jennings home at Letterkenny’s Hawthorn Heights estate opened up – thanks to the invitations of Sean McFadden! – to a throng of well-wishers and supporters, joining the host family, including the proud pairing Michael and Teresa, to watch the final of the Lightweight Double Sculls.
Olympic Finalists. It hardly gets any better than that barring you go on to claim a coveted medal. The Irish pair didn’t manage it on this occasion but will always have that title on their C.V. Olympic Finalists.
As we squeezed into every available space it was to share a moment of history with Sinead’s family – an occasion, as I say, not to be forgotten.
Not quite the 700 or so – though it felt like it – who assembled in the Mount Errigal Hotel last Friday night for the Donegal Sports Star Awards but once again an occasion for pride for the Jennings household as Sinead was rewarded with the overall award for 2016. Who could have argued the decision?
Yep, I don’t see any hands up there – an achievement roundly and warmly welcomed by all sports lovers present or not (not in this case but I hear it was a great night as always).
The Letterkenny woman has been here before – claiming that overall
title in both 2001 and 2008 and now the first individual to win it
three times.
Could there be a fourth? You couldn’t – wouldn’t – rule it out particularly where a Jennings is concerned. There’s even talk of Tokyo in 2020 – another crowded house in Hawthorn Heights.
But let’s not forget all the award winners from Friday night and indeed every single nominee for same.
Each and every one of them a credit to their sport, their families, clubs, and communities.
NEW FACES BUT FAMILIAR OPPONENTS
It certainly won’t be two familiar teams facing up to one another this
Sunday in Letterkenny when Donegal and Kerry open their Allianz
Football League campaign.
Retirements and alternative club commitments will see a raft of changes in both camps but nevertheless – and perhaps because of it – it could prove a lively fixture with the fresh faces on show bidding to impress their respective coaches.
Kerry will travel without the formidable presence of Colm Cooper, Bryan Sheehan, Kieran Donaghy, and, one of my own all-time favourite players of the current era, Darran O’Sulllivan, while their hosts will, of course, be minus those retirees of recent months including Colm McFadden, Eamon McGee, Rory Kavanagh, Christy Toye, and David
Walsh.
And with Odhran MacNiallais and Leo McLoone ruling themselves
out of contention, at least for the forthcoming 2017 campaigns, it will be the eager youthful who will take the field at O’Donnell Park.
To some minds, including this one, it was still a puzzle as to why Rory Gallagher agreed to field the under-21’s in the warm-up that is the Dr. McKenna Cup.
But whatever the motives behind it, we should get a clearer picture of a starting fifteen even if a couple of other experienced members of the squad will be absent this weekend.
One new campaigner set to make his debut in Donegal colours is Paul Brennan, the former Leitrim and Melvin Gaels ace who featured against Mayo last Sunday and is certain to make his competitive debut against the Kingdom a week on.
It could be an entertaining opener to the league fare and I fancy the hosts to come out on top against a side that has only recorded one win on Donegal soil on their last five visits.
HOUSTON LIFT
They may have missed out – just – on capturing the services of Paddy McCourt last week but I would strongly suggest that Finn Harps went one better in recent days by tying up the signature of one of the League of Ireland’s most talented exponents, Sean Houston.
There were fears at the end of last season that the Letterkenny midfielder was on his way to one of the Dublin clubs and that last year’s player of the season at Finn Park would become an opponent during the pending campaign.
Scorer of some crucial goals that helped Harps preserve their Premier Division status, his presence will be key in a season that may prove even more demanding than the 2016 version.
After the postponement of their scheduled pre-season friendly in Athlone at the weekend, Ollie Horgan’s men went into action against the Inishowen League last night at Maginn Park – not the last time they’ll be travelling to the venue this year – and came away with a 2-1 win courtesy of goals from new strikers, Danny Morrissey and Ciaran O’Connor.
Always good to get on the scoresheet on your debut outing for a new club and Harps fans will be hoping there’s plenty more to come particularly as it was too often a struggle last campaign to find the net – an eight match goal-less streak telling its own sorry story.
SEXTON OUT (NO SURPRISE THERE) AND A PRICKLY OPENER IN THISTLE COUNTRY
Hardly had I put words to the screen to ponder at what stage Johnny Sexton would be vacating the action at Murrayfield on Saturday – Michael Murphy has played more rugby than he has in recent times – when news came through yesterday that the out-half was indeed that – out for the Six Nations opener against Scotland.
The calf injury picked up during Leinster’s clash with Castres in the Champions Cup has not, despite optimistic views to the contrary that suggested he would be fit, responded to treatment or training and once
again Sexton will watch a match, this time the whole match, from the
sidelines.
Ulster’s Paddy Jackson will be drafted in to fill the vacancy but already sections of the Dublin media are questioning his ability as an adequate replacement. But, while I would be a big fan of Ian Madigan, who now plays his rugby with Bordeaux, and indeed the four-capped Ian Keatley, I believe there’s a bit of an anti-Ulster bias when the rugby pundits come to reflect on the credentials of Jackson who can deliver on the day.
What concerns me more is the Scottish team who have been sharpening up in recent times, particularly after their decent World Cup.
Even a poor Scotland was invariably able to put it up to Ireland at Murrayfield – the current squad, under the expert tuition of Vern Cotter and inspirational skipper, Greig Laidlaw, have the capacity to overhaul any of their Six Nation rivals.
And I’d be fearful, very fearful, particularly in the light of those suggesting complacently the Ireland/England game at the end of the campaign will be the one to decide the title.
Meanwhile, according to I.T.V., this year’s Six Nations “starts” on Saturday with the England/France game at Twickenham (kick-off 4.50.p.m.).
The little matter of the Scotland/Ireland match has a 2.25.p.m. starting time, also on Saturday.
AYR SPEED
Here’s a classic I read over the weekend. It concerns ‘The Scotsman’ newspaper – you’ll never guess where it’s based – and a feature it was
doing on motor sport racing.
Someone in the production room asked for a photograph of the great
Ayrton Senna to go along with the story.
The following day’s paper did indeed contain said story – along with a
nice coloured picture of Ayr town centre!
Brilliant.
