They say it’s worth two scores, when your centre back comes up the field and scales the black spots.
It’s one of those inspirational moments, a dig out for the forwards, a thrill for the support to know this man has travelled so far to work such wonders. It’s demoralising for the opposition too that they’ve kept the attackers at bay but the water got through anyway.
And there’s just no better feeling on earth than swinging a leg at an effort at the end of a move which has to be sharp and dynamic and lung-bursting, seeing the umpire go reaching for a flag and getting to celebrate by striding back down the field and straight back into position. Like you do this all the time.
It’s the definition of a massive score, a number six taking it upon himself to go make something happen at the other end when things looked to have slowed up.
James Murray did it twice for Moorefield on Sunday and, in a one-point game won at the death by the Kildare champions, he can say with confidence that his involvement was mighty.
Unbelievable scenes for @MoorefieldGAA. This is what winning a provincial championship looks like pic.twitter.com/CrsOuD28k9
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) December 18, 2017
With Eanna O’Connor leading the way for Moorefield with eight points and Ronan Sweeney’s 1-1 proving historic, there were four other scorers in white jerseys who helped drag the club over the line to a second ever Leinster title.
One of those was the winner, Kevin Murnaghan.
Kevin Murnaghan will never have to buy a pint in Moorefield again pic.twitter.com/Mg5Tfrswb0
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) December 17, 2017
Another was James Murray.
Murray twice got up the Portlaoise pitch to point but the first of those was downright monstrous.
The centre back broke three different tackles as he cut in from the wing and went straight for the jugular before curling over with effortless ease.
How he rammed through the challenges really exposed the facade that is sometimes there with bodies. A lot of those bodies are there to be got at and Murray got at them and then some.
James Murray scored a great point for @MoorefieldGaa in the first half of yesterday's @AIB_GAA @gaaleinster SFC Final! Watch it here with GAANOW! pic.twitter.com/ZGHpgbt1MP
— The GAA (@officialgaa) December 18, 2017
Now’s the time when we say things like, ‘worthy of winning any game’.
But as good as Murray’s strike was, it wasn’t worthy of winning this once-in-a-lifetime clash. It needed so much more and Moorefield were able to find that too.
"A lot of it is plain lies but it's all used to just try and encapsulate in any way the magnitude of what happened"https://t.co/4Wl0mevgR6
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) December 18, 2017
