Friday, June 02, 2017

IT’S the harsh reality of life in GAA, and indeed most sports, that supporters judge a team solely on what happens on a pitch over the course of 70 minutes. That is amplified at Championship time when eight or nine months work are judged on what happens from the moment the referee throws in the ball to when he blows the final whistle.

To get to that point though there is so much that goes into preparing the players for that on-pitch examination within the backroom. From management teams, to medical teams, to strength and conditioning teams but it’s often overlooked the role that a good kitman can play in any set up. That’s not the case in Kildare though. Nobody takes Tom Murphy for granted.

Certainly not Cian O’Neill. He’s been around some of the best kitmen in the business, during his time with Tipperary hurlers and the Kerry footballers in particular, and he said there wasn’t even a decision to be made about who would be kitman when he took over as Kildare manager.

“Tom is an institution with Kildare GAA, particularly with the senior football team, dating back all those years and through all those managers. For me, it was an honour that he wanted to stay involved, himself and Dano Keely have such a powerful dynamic between the two of them.

“Tom’s biggest strength is probably on a human level, he just gets on with everyone and everybody loves him. He would do anything for you and he has been incredibly helpful for me off the pitch as much as on the pitch. I literally would be lost without him, he’s brilliant man, a brilliant human and obviously a brilliant kitman.

“I was absolutely thrilled when he agreed to stay on and I learned very quickly how efficient and effective himself and Dano are. I think if you ask any player, or member of the backroom team, what Tom brings to the set up very often words couldn’t describe it because it is so much more than just the basics.

“When you are involved with a lot of teams you see that very often it’s the kitmen who are the real characters in the group, their job almost transcends what they do before and after a session. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with ‘Hotpoint’ John Hayes in Tipp, Vince Linnane in Kerry, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago, and ‘Botty’ Niall O’Callaghan. These guys were all legends within their own set up and then I came to Kildare and there was another legend in Tom Murphy.  Maybe it’s a cliché that the kitmen are the real characters but you look at Rala with the Irish rugby and I’m sure many top teams would testify to that. It’s not just the job they do, it’s what they do on a human level and Tom is just in a different class altogether,” said O’Neill.

 

 

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Spend some time with Murphy and you quickly understand what O’Neill means and why he has been such a highly rated part of the Kildare set up by a string of managers. They say not all heroes wear capes, well not all GAA heroes pull on a jersey and cross the white line for battle.

Good humoured, quick witted and with a glint in his eye that belies his 71 years, Murphy says being around an ever changing group of young men over the last two decades has kept him on his toes.

“I was with Micko, Padraig Nolan, Johnny Crofton, Geezer, Jason Ryan and now Cian. I’ve enjoyed it, it means I don’t spend too much time at home so there are not too many arguments with the wife,” he laughs.

“They are a great group of players as well, they keep you young! There’s different characters but they are a great group, I was not away in Portugal with them last week but they were all disappointed that I wasn’t going,” said Murphy.

In Tullamore on Sunday, ably assisted by Dano Keely, Murphy will arrive before the team and have all the gear needed ready to go before the players even reach the ground.  It’s hard to list all the duties of a kitman but he can be absolutely crucial in the highly pressurised environment of an intercounty dressing room. Sometimes a joke or a bit of mischief at the right time to lighten the mood can be as important as any motivating speech from a manager but the role of a kitman is also hard work.

“I have a list myself so the first thing I do is check all that to make sure I have everything in the van, the last thing I get is the ice water bottles. I go about an hour before the team and the first thing I do when I get to the pitch is to hang the jerseys in the dressing room,” said Murphy.

“In the early days I was on my own, then this fella Johnny Kinsella came with me, God be good to him, he died of cancer when he was a young man. After that, when Geezer came, Niall Carew got Dano Keely and Dano has been with me ever since and is a great help. I drive there and he drives home so we share the travelling,” said Murphy.

Of course, there is slightly more to be transported these days with the ever expanding needs for an intercounty team.

“20 years ago I used to go on the team bus and I’d only have the jerseys with me and a few bibs and markers, now I have a van full. I had a small van at first and then when Geezer came he said it wasn’t big enough so he got me the one I use now so that I can carry more,” said Murphy.

Looking back over his time involved with the various managers, there have been plenty of highs and lows but obviously the Leinster title winning years under Micko were extra special.

“The managers were all different in their own way. Micko was some character, Padraig was a different kind of character. Johnny Crofton came after that and Johnny was very unlucky, he had an awful lot of injuries. I remember we played Donegal in Croke Park in a league semi-final and all our midfielders were injured and we still put up a good show. Then there was Geezer, another great character. Jason Ryan was a very nice man and now we have Cian. Cian is very professional, everything has to be right and he looks after the lads very well,” said Murphy.

“1998 was a great time. At that time I worked at the weekend and used to do 12 hour night shifts on Saturday and Sunday. I used to have to go back to work after a match, I had to go back to work that evening when we won the Leinster final in 1998. When they got the back to Naas, I said I’d nip out and be there to greet them when they were coming home. Seamus Aldridge stopped the bus and got me onboard. They are great memories.

“10 years after ’98 they had a get together in the K Club. John Finn organised it and I was invited to that too, I enjoyed all those memories. It’s surprising how many friends you make out of it, everywhere you go you meet somebody you know,” said Murphy.

The 2000 Leinster final win was very memorable too, albeit for the wrong reasons.

“I ran in to celebrate in the dressing room, except I took a wrong turn and ended up in the Dublin dressing room so I looked at the lads and said ‘I think I’m in the wrong place’, they said ‘you are and you better get out’, so I made my exit pretty quickly!”

The players over the years have changed too but what hasn’t changed, it is the relationship that Murphy has enjoyed with those who pull on a white jersey.

“I couldn’t pick out any or I’d be getting in trouble but they were all good lads, and lads that you wouldn’t think of. There’s times there when you could be out collecting balls on a wet night and you’d be surprised at what lads would come and ask if you needed a hand,” he said.

Murphy’s own playing career was hampered, by his own admission, through bad eyesight but the enjoyment he has got from his time with Kildare has more than made up for that.

“I didn’t play much, I had bad eyesight. I was a Towers man originally and then I moved to Dublin and then I when I came back worked in the Ropes I was with Moorefield a bit but then went to Kildare full time.

“It’s been a good way to spend my time. I went on trips to San Francisco, New York and Boston during Geezer’s time, places I would never have seen. It was brilliant, and a brilliant crowd of lads to go with. Geezer invited me to his wedding too which was a surprise but it was lovely to go to,” he said.

And even now into 70s, Murphy is showing no sign of slowing down and instead is still hoping for a return to Croke Park on All-Ireland final day before he hangs up his last jersey.

“The lads are going well now and Paddy Brophy coming back is a huge boost. They have a great mind about them now, they are very focused and they have a great attitude, there is a great atmosphere in the dressing room now. And there is time for a bit of craic and a joke as well which you have to have too.

“That’s what keeps me going, you are out there running around with the lads and there are things to be done so you don’t have time to think of your age,” he said.