Donegal great Eamon McGee reckons Jim McGuinness refused to spend another season wondering ‘what if’ when it came to Michael Murphy.
All-Ireland winner McGee, brother of Donegal selector Neil, said the management ‘had a path worn’ to Murphy’s house as they tried to cajole him into returning for 2024.
But it was only ahead of the 2025 season, which begins for Donegal in Kerry on Sunday, that the powerful full-forward finally relented.
McGee believes that from Murphy’s perspective, ‘the prospect of a medal is the carrot to Michael’ while he said McGuinness simply felt last year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists couldn’t risk another near miss season.
“Jim and Neil had a path worn to his door and I thought, ‘you know, they’re going to break him eventually’,” said McGee.
“But he held out and I was so impressed by it. And I thought that was it, done. I thought that he had made his mind up and he was getting on with the punditry, and he was working in the college, and that part of his life was finished.
“But whatever conversation was struck up, and whatever seed was planted, McGuinness went to him, and I think from chatting now, in the circle, the boys were saying, ‘With Michael there, could he make a difference?’ And McGuinness just says, ‘Listen, we’ll not take that chance again this year’.”
McGee is adamant that his former Donegal colleague will make a significant difference to the team despite being 35 and having missed two seasons.
“The ideal for most teams is if they can get three threats, three real big threats in that top three that they have to keep up for the new rules,” said McGee. “Michael Murphy, Oisin Gallen and Paddy McBrearty are as good a top three as what is about.”
It’s been rumoured that Murphy could actually make his return in goals, as a sweeper ‘keeper to take advantage of the new 12 v 11 possibility high up the pitch under the new rules.
McGuinness hasn’t ruled that out publicly, only saying that his former captain is recovering from a hamstring nick.
“I get what the logic is behind that but Michael Murphy’s not coming back from retirement and busting his balls to sit in goals and get up and down the field,” said McGee. “He’s going to be either that link man at 11, or sitting in at 14.”
Murphy spent much of his Donegal career dealing with blanket defences and having to come further out the field to make an impact on games. Under the new rules, there should be more space in attack for him, and more one-on-ones.
“I don’t know what game we were going to but I was sitting beside him on the bus and I was asking him would he back himself against whatever full-back he was playing against?” said McGee.
“He said to me, ‘I’d back myself against most full-backs if I can get them one-on-one’. For a moment, I felt sorry for him. That quickly dissipated now, but for a moment I felt sorry for him.
“So he will make a difference and I think no full-back in the country, even though Michael’s been out for a while, no full-back in the country will want to see him coming.”
McGee himself will be the subject of a TG4 Laochra Gael episode which will wrap up the 23rd series on Thursday, March 13.
He won an All-Ireland in 2012 under McGuinness but acknowledged regrets over partying too hard and not being diligent enough with his preparations, famously being dumped off the panel several times by managers.
“I never reached my potential,” said full-back McGee.
“I would say I was decent but it was only when McGuinness came in that he got me to focus. I think if I had committed earlier, like (Karl) Lacey, he focused in straight away, Murphy focused in straight away. I think if I’d done something like that, I would have definitely benefited but there is a part of me that just feels like I never reached my potential.”
McGee coaches Buncrana these days and acknowledges it’s ‘hypocritical’ of him to be so frustrated with players who fail to meet their potential.
“If I had an Eamon McGee now, if I was coaching him, I’d probably get rid of him after the second chance - but I must have got 10 or more chances,” he said. “I look at young fellas and when I see potential (wasted) it irritates me, it really grates on me. I’ve seen loads of it, I’ve seen loads of potential in the club and in Donegal go to waste by someone just not having the right mentality.”
