Eoin Murchan still going strong for Dublin
Dublin footballer Eoin Murchan pictured at the launch of the new Staycity Aparthotel GAAfternoon Tea experience, available exclusively at Staycity’s Dublin City Centre location across key championship weekends.
By Cian O'Connell
"When you put it like that, it's scary enough - a decade," Eoin Murchan responds when asked whether his perspective has changed as a Dublin footballer.
Murchan made his senior debut in 2017 and has been a constant since. "As you age and as you get a little bit more experience, you probably learn to not take everything to heart," he adds.
"When I started off, any time a man scored on me or someone won a ball, or things didn't go so well, you probably took it a little bit more to heart and a little bit more personally.
"Whereas now, I think I've probably got a better understanding that it's Gaelic football, it's elite level sport, it's not linear.
"There's ups and downs and you just have to stick together as a group and push each other on and continue going after your plan and don't let any of those ups or downs along the way, you know, you can't get too up or get too down, if that makes sense.
"That's probably the biggest thing as you age, you get an understanding that it's not always in that straight line direction."
Is that chiefly down to experience gleaned? "Yeah, it definitely comes with experience from playing more, from being out there more, from being in that environment," he replies.
"You realise that not every time everything works out and that there will be challenges along the way. It's just about confronting those face on and being excited for the challenge."
Murchan played in the last All-Ireland U21 Final when Dublin defeated Galway in Tullamore. In that decider Evan Comerford, Seán McMahon, Cian Murphy, Brian Howard, Colm Basquel, Con O'Callaghan, and Paddy Small featured. Several others featured at the highest level.
It was a gifted crop of players. "Yeah, I suppose you never know who's going to make it and who won't," Murchan says.
Eoin Murchan remains a key performer for Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
"I was very fortunate to play with a talented group at that age. Many of them have gone on to be extremely good and important players for the Dublin senior football team.
"I suppose when you're in that competition itself, especially when you're that kind of young age, all you're really focusing on is that competition and trying to win."
When Murchan joined the senior panel, Stephen Cluxton and Dean Rock were involved. Now, they're part of Ger Brennan's managerial team with Dublin. "It's been great," Murchan says.
"It's great to have people involved who have so much IP (Intellectual Property). Those guys would have set the standard for years and years while I was there, but also before my time.
"They all have a great understanding of the game and a great love for the game as well.
"It's been great to not lose that experience and not lose that kind of leadership. It's been brilliant. It's been really interesting and really exciting.
"For some of them, coaching is new, so it's been an exciting challenge for all of us. Personally, I have a great relationship with them all and they've been great to work with."
A boundary exists, though, according to the accomplished Na Fianna clubman. "Yeah, there always would be," he says.
"At the end of the day, they have to select the team, so there has to be that little bit of distance between us. But at the end of the day, we're all pushing for the same thing, so we all still have that great relationship.
"They're very open to feedback on players' thoughts and it's very much a group thing, we're all pushing this together. It's not a 'them and us'; it's not their ideas that they're pushing on us. We're all in it together and trying to push forward as one."
