St Mullins manager Tommy Buggy has hailed the impact of veteran Seamus Murphy after the club stalwart made an unlikely move to goalkeeper for their recent win in the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Carlow Senior Hurling Championship.
Murphy, who has played his entire career outfield, stepped between the posts for last weekend’s victory over Ballinkillen — and impressed with a clean sheet to his name.
Speaking to KCLR’s Brendan Hennessy ahead of this Saturday’s clash with Bagenalstown Gaels, Buggy was full of admiration for the 38-year-old’s adaptability.
“Our debut goalkeeper, after 21 years in the senior ranks, he kept a clean sheet!
But the one thing — Murphy was always a very good hurler.
From the time I knew him at 16, 17… never counting, man, he was a very good hurler.
And you can’t play in goals unless you’re a very good hurler.
So we have a bit of refining to do with him — but no, we’re happy enough with him at the minute.”
Murphy’s switch has added a new layer of resilience to the St Mullins team as they gear up for a crucial showdown with Bagenalstown Gaels this Saturday at 5pm in Netwatch Cullen Park.
Buggy is expecting a serious test.
“Go back 10 months and we came in here to play them in the semi-final.
And we got the biggest fright of our lives, two days in a row — so that’s not going to be easy.”
You can hear full live commentary of St Mullins v Bagenalstown Gaels this Saturday on KCLR, proudly brought to you by Dan Morrissey and Co.
For more from Tommy Buggy’s interview — plus an All-Ireland Final preview and the latest from the hurling world — check out the KCLR Hurling Podcast, available now.
