Life after football sees Donegal great now tackling the Pundit's Arena

For Donegal supporters, November 17, 2022, almost stands as a day of people remembering where they were when the news broke that the county’s greatest ever player had retired from the game at inter-county level.  

It’s been over 18 months since Michael Murphy’s departure, but the realisation that the former county captain is gone and not returning is still referred to to this day by the media and the public.  

With Donegal’s 2023 ‘annus horribilis’ people were close to begging on their hands and knees for Murphy’s return to the playing field as well as Jim McGuinness’s return to the sideline after a decade-long hiatus.  

One made his return, the other faced the daunting reality and seismic change of facing the world for the first time as a former player.  

And while the Glenswilly man had opted at one point to return to the setup as a player, he decided to stick with his new lifestyle and venture down new paths unafforded to him as an inter-county captain.  

“It was a difficult decision, there was a lot made about Donegal, they were in limbo at the time with regards to not having a manager in 2022. People were probably thinking the reason you didn’t come back was because there was no manager, but I told the boys I was retiring after we lost to Armagh earlier in the season,” Murphy said.  

“I could have gone back and ticked a box and managed my way through the year but no, I would have been an anti-Christ about the place.”  

The question for the 2012 All-Ireland winning captain is, what now?  

He was spoken about of being a potential coach in the Donegal setup from the moment he hung up his boots. After all, what other individual in Donegal would’ve made more of an impact on a team.  

As a matter of fact, some would find it hard to believe that the county would find themselves back in the position they for so long wished to be in without their trusty and loyal leader marching them around the ground before throw-in.  

But the three-time All-Star decided to explore other roots. In 2023 he entered the media circus as a national pundit and commentator with GAAGo and the BBC.  

So why has he chosen the path that he has?   

“I used to always say that I loved watching football, but probably in my latter years of playing I stopped watching the game because I was so focused on getting ready for my next match or analysing my own game, or training, so now I love going around different venues, and seeing different trends in the game, and being a fan, so I am enjoying what I’m doing now,” he said.  

“It can obviously be hard, especially when you are watching Donegal, and you have to give an opinion on lads you’ve soldiered with, that’s difficult because you have to be honest, but I’m also friends with these boys. I’m an only child so I see an awful lot of those Donegal players like my brothers.  

“The job as a pundit can be difficult but then once you get to a game, it can be a comfortable and fun atmosphere, we’re all fans of the game, and we can be cheering teams on until half-time or full-time, then you have to get back into the zone.  

“I always try to prepare as much as I can to have as much information as I can have on a team.   

“I try to follow all the teams from the start of the National League, so by the time the championship rolls around you will know all the sides and you’re up to date, but yeah, you need to be prepared so you can back up maybe a strong opinion you have and have substance in your analyses.”  

But despite all in his life, the records he’s set, the awards he’s won, and the goals and points he’s scored, Murphy still has that drive in him to constantly challenge himself. It may be on a different level now, but that hunger is still there.  

“Even now, doing what I’m doing, you challenge yourself in different ways, like even when doing a live match, I think the commentary is a different animal to punditry,” he said.   

“That’s a challenge, there’s definitely a skill to it when doing commentary . . . you’d be nervous surely to God because you know it’s live TV, but again, preparation can really help you but there’s a fine line, you don’t want to come across as too analytical, so there’s a line between informative and too deep, and being entertaining.”  

Many still live in the belief that Murphy will one day be standing on the sideline as a Donegal coach directing orders similar to how he did as a player, and while he’s interested in the world of coaching, he admits the time might not yet be right to commit his life to that aspect of the game.  

“I always remember when I was playing in my 20s, or when I was coaching teams in Glenswilly when I was very young, and I’m still involved at underage level now, I always would’ve said, 100 percent I’m going to be a manager,” Murphy said.  

“Now when I see how much the game has evolved and I see the demands, and the time and the effort needed to be a coach or a manager, it’s hard. I’m the type of person that, if I’m doing something, I have to do it 100 percent right, I’ve always been like that. The timing would have to be right too, I wouldn’t just jump into a job.  

“Now I’m definitely curious about the area of managing, but I’m not as adamant around the area as much as I was anymore due to the fact of the time element and the dedication required. I know from the coaches who have looked after my teams, they were 100 percent loyal to the cause and gave everything they had, I don’t know if I could give that effort at this moment in time.  

“Another thing is, which could come back to haunt me, I just couldn’t see myself coaching or managing any other team other than Glenswilly or Donegal. That may change someday, but at the minute I’m happy with what I’m doing, will I do it forever, I don’t know.”  

After winning five Anglo Celt Cups as captain and three All-Stars in a career that spanned 16 seasons, Murphy knew it was time to leave the game before the game left him. In doing so he left a rather large vacuum in the Donegal camp.  

They say the greatest ones go on for too long. Perhaps it’s inevitable considering they spend their lives redefining the limits of the possible. But Murphy knew when the time was right to call it a day.  

He may not have had his glorious Last Dance, with the Donegal legend finishing his career in an empty Clones ground following a sore defeat to Armagh, but Murphy understood the tragic scenes experienced from athletes who make a glorious comeback or hang around when their time has passed.  

He now spends his time aside from his role in punditry as a loyal fan to Jim McGuinness’s cause. When the Naomh Conaill man returned, it was confirmed that they spoke every week for about two months, but Murphy’s mind was not turning. But his admiration for McGuinness and the team has and will never alter.   

“When you look at this Donegal team that Jim took over, compared to the one I was involved with when he took over in 2011, I don’t like comparing the two teams because they’re different eras with different personalities involved. One thing I will say is, it’s clear that drive and hunger in Jim McGuinness has not left him,” Murphy said.  

“I can’t preach enough about how much admiration I have for the man. We don’t really know how far we can go this season after winning Ulster and Division 2, but for Jim to even come back and take the job, it shows that he is just Donegal true and true.  

“Jim has a vision of Donegal. He can see where they should be and where he can take them. I think he saw that he could improve the county team and that’s probably why he got involved. We probably don’t realise enough how fortunate we are that Jim put up his hand and took the role.  

“Credit to the players too for reaching out and going and seeking Jim out, but for Jim to do what he’s already done is unbelievable.   

“A lot of people in Jim’s shoes would say, it’s time for somebody else to step up and take over, but he’s gone back and is once again giving his life to the county, and that further elevates what I said before about the admiration I think we all have for him.”  

Looking on from the outside for the first time since 2007, where does the former Donegal captain see this current squad at the minute and how far can they go?  

“This team has done so much in the league and the championship so far. They are in a really good place currently, so to ask them to go any further can be a bit unfair considering how far they’ve come,” he said.  

“There’s one more trophy left for all teams, whether Donegal does it this season or a few years down the line, I think just getting the county back to being competitive is already an achievement. As a fan, I’m hopeful we will remain competitive going forward.   

“We’re up here in the corner of the country, we can sometimes be forgotten about, but Jim has put us back on the map again.”