
Share
1st July 2019
04:57pm BST

"That was Matthew O'Hanlon coming in! He was taking man, ball and everything, whatever was in the way. "It was unbelievable. The feeling in that dressing-room now is unreal. As a group of players we hadn’t experienced it. It’s something to remember and hold on to it. "But there’s nothing done yet. We’ll go home and enjoy this for a couple of days and then knuckle back down again for a couple of weeks’ time."But that was not the first thing Murphy spoke about. The Oulart the Ballagh clubman's first thoughts, as he stood in front of the press pack, were of the minor team that, earlier that day, had won their first Leinster title in 34 years. "It was unreal feeling at the end," said Murphy. "It was a long gap.
"Especially with the minors winning in the morning as well, it will be exciting times. It was just pure teamwork. Everyone together putting their shoulder to the wheel and that got us over the line."They are all in this together, down in Wexford. It is why the Wexford Ladies team will be feted and acclaimed by the crowds at Innovate Park on Monday evening, along with the triumphant minors, Murphy, O'Hanlon and all the Wexford senior hurlers. https://twitter.com/OfficialWexGAA/status/1145454285750190086 This is Murphy's eighth year with the senior panel and there were plenty of markers along the way, when he and his teammates were coming up the ranks, that Wexford could start winning big trophies at the highest level. What has added to that belief has been this Wexford side starting to turn the tide on a Kilkenny outfit that had them under their thumb for a long stretch.
Shaun Murphy of Wexford lifts the Leinster trophy following the final win over Kilkenny at Croke Park. (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile)[/caption]
With the dressing room still rocking and heaving, only feet away, Murphy was asked what it is like to play under Davy Fitzgerald. "Ah, he’s just a pure winner," he began.
"Whether it’s hurling or cards or table tennis, he just wants to win. You could be playing on weekends away and it could be cards or it could be table tennis or whatever it’d be and it’d winner stays on and Davy comes on board and it’s a tournament, like. You have to win it. And he instils that into us. We have to and we want to win every game. Everything we do, I suppose we want to do it, we’ve been craving that success over the last while and I suppose he’s won it as a player and as a manager and when he tells us we’re good enough, you believe him. "Look, it’s great, from one to 31, one to 32, whatever’s on the panel, anyone can come in. Aidan Nolan and Damien Reck missed out there today and I suppose they were missed but the lads stepped in, some other lads came into the 26. The lads that came onto the team, they done their part as well. It was an unbelievable team effort."
Explore more on these topics: