Murphy hopeful ahead of new season as Naas return to AIL action this Saturday
The Naas RFC squad and management during their 2024/25 AIL campaign. Photo: Naas RFC
The new Energia AIL (All Ireland League) season is almost upon us as Naas begin their 2025/26 Division 1B campaign away to Belfast side, Instonians.
The game will be played at Shaw's Bridge tomorrow (Saturday, September 27), with kick-off at 2.30pm.
Naas ended last season in 7th place after six wins and 12 defeats, but Head Coach Johne Murphy believes his side can be in the hunt for promotion at the business end of things this time around.
"Our goal, like every year, is to be chasing that top four - get into the playoffs and have a go at promotion," he said.
"We probably gave ourselves too much to do post Christmas last season with the injuries. We went on a run, but then not closing out the games againt UCC and Shannon just put us in that spot where we were in no-man's land.
"We've been in that spot for the last two seasons, so it's time to put the foot down and try to kick on and be in that top half. Our league is mayhem - so if you can be mid-division post Christmas and then put a string of four to five games together, you could end up being second."
Murphy's career included a spell at English side Leicester Tigers, where he won the Premiership in 2009, before joining Munster in 2010 where he won the Celtic League (now URC) in his first season.
Rathangan native Murphy has kept the faith with his coaching ticket from last year, with former club captain Andrew Kearney as Forwards Coach, Damien McCabe as Backs Coach and Philip Horan as Scrum and Breakdown Coach.
In terms of player turnover, Naas have lost the services of "great servants to the club" such as former AIL Golden Boot winner Peter Osborne and loose head prop Conor Doyle.
Murphy has regenerated his squad with the return of several local players from spells in Dublin, with Tadhg Brophy, Dylan O'Keefe Thomas Monaghan and Tom Bohan linking up with the team ahead of the new season.
Instonians were promoted to the second tier having won Division 2A last season - their fourth promotion in as many years - and Murphy is under no illusions about the significant threat posed by the Belfast club.
"It's probably the toughest assignment any team has in the league," he said.
"(Instonians) have gone the whole way from Junior to our division and I think they've only lost one or two league matches in the last four years - it's an incredible stat.
"Any time you're going up north is difficult; but when you're going up to a team that includes Ian Whitten - a former international, Craig Gilroy - a former international, you know it's going to be a really tough trip.
"But we know what this league is about; guys have experience at this level, so hopefully we can go up and put in a really good performance."
Charlie Sheridan; Donal Conroy, Paddy Taylor, Dylan O'Keefe, Thomas Monaghan; Tom Bohan, Tadhg Brophy; Stephen Lackey, Brad Clements, Adam Deay; Oisin Halpin, James O'Loughlin; Eoin Walsh, Will O'Brien, Darragh Murphy.
John King, Thomas Adams, Paulie Tolofua, Cormac King, Fionn O'Hara, David O'Sullivan.
Naas have their first home game of the season next Saturday, October 4, when they welcome Old Wesley to Forenaughts at 2.30pm.
