Murphy magic seals Louth SHC title

The Louth Senior Hurling Championship trophy is heading back to Toberona after Naomh Moninne’s remarkable comeback victory over St. Fechins, and at the heart of it all was man of the match Conor Murphy.

His goal and point in the dying minutes turned the tide, breaking Fechins’ four-year dominance and delivering a first title for the club since 2019.

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He said, “I thought we were more points down. There were only four points there with a few minutes to go, Fechins had chances, and the boys were just working like dogs back there.

“They kept turning it over, getting it up the line, and we were probably letting them down a wee bit. We had a few bad wides and then they started to stick a few balls in, and then there was a square ball, but that gave us a bit of life.

“Then we got the second goal, and soon after that we got the third. We turned it on there. I think we got the last probably five scores, and that was the making of the game.”

Resilience

A disallowed goal and a missed chance could have sunk lesser teams, but Naomh Moninne refused to wilt.

“It's easy to let the heads drop, especially when you see them going wide. The silly wides that we saw that we've been trying to weed out all year, but the boys just dug deep.

“We showed a lot of heart. We worked very hard this year, and we weren't going to let our heads drop for the last 10 minutes of the county final.

“So, look, we just fought it out, picked off those scores, and we ended up, that last five minutes, when we got up by a point there, we scored the last point.

“Then I think that ball just kept going down the line, kept going down the line, and the boys won every single one. It was unbelievable to see it.

“As a forward, we had nothing left in the legs, but all we wanted was the ball coming back our direction. The boys, that full back, half back line were just, they were savage. It was inspirational stuff back there.”

Going for glory

In the dying moments, every ounce of energy was spent in pursuit of glory.

“I was probably trying to just win a free at that stage, just to kill a bit of time, but, look, I obviously didn't get it in the end.

“It went the other way, but, yeah, we just, we left everything out there. I was barely fit to get off my feet after that, but again, from the free, we won it again.

“It came straight back up, and the final whistle went. It was just a weight off our shoulders. We've been trying since 2019.

“This is my first one now. I wasn't there. I was too young in 2019. So, for a lot of us there, 90% of the team, this is our first one, and we've been really, really hungry.

“Obviously, the Fechins are great champions. Four in a row, they've set the standard, but fives, it's always nearly a step too far for a lot of great teams, and we're just delighted.”

Winning silverware

For Murphy and his teammates, this victory was about more than silverware; it was about pride in the club and community.

“That's been a big driving point for us, to bring Paddy Kelly back to Toberona. Since we got the pitches laid, the aim is to bring a championship back for the kids, for everyone, for the newbies coming through here.

“Every single person in the back room, just in the club, there are families, there are kids. We're doing it for everyone, and we're all delighted.

“Look, all these faces we've seen all year. They've been coming, and new faces show up on the big day, and we're just happy. Everyone's happy, it's great.”

Man of the Match

For Murphy, the individual award capped off an unforgettable day.

“Before a game, everyone wants to be Man of the Match. They want to score two goals and be able to celebrate with the boys. It ended up working today.

“There have been a lot of days there in the last couple of years where you go out on the pitch thinking you're going to put in a big shift, get a couple of goals.

“It just doesn't click early on. It was good to get the early goal, but they knuckled down. We couldn't break through them there for a while.”