Michael Murphy deserves to stand alone on Donegal record appearances hill - Neil McGee 

Neil McGee says Michael Murphy would be out of sight on the Donegal record appearances board had he not sat out two seasons. 

Murphy tied McGee’s haul of 194 in last weekend’s NFL draw with Galway. The Gaoth Dobhair native finally called it quits at 37 years of age following 2022’s All-Ireland qualifier loss to Armagh in Clones. 

READ NEXT: NFL break gives Donegal a chance to catch breath says Finnbarr Roarty 

Little did anyone know at the time, but Murphy also walked out of the St Tiernach’s Park dressing room door that same day, believing he’d pulled off a Donegal jersey for the very last time. 

Declan Bonner would call it quits soon after and Paddy Carr’s short and disastrous reign left many viewing Donegal as a footballing force in complete tatters. 

However, Jim McGuinness would come back in and almost instantly pull the nose up on all that pessimism. 

Murphy would eventually come back in from the cold and help catapult the county towards last season’s All-Ireland final. 

The Glenswilly talisman might be 36 years of age now but going on the evidence of last Sunday, and the influence he had when sprung against the Tribemen, he’s intent on spearheading efforts once more as they look to go one better than 2025’s decider loss to Kerry. 

“What more can you say about Michael that hasn’t already been written or said,” said McGee. “I know what it’s like at that stage of your life and career, what it takes to keep the body right. 

“And he’s still delivering like he is. It’s amazing, really, when you look at the condition he’s in. And it takes a serious amount of professionalism and work to get to that point. 

“The record, I mean, what number he would actually be at if he hadn’t retired that time. But he’s going to break the 200 mark for sure now. 

“He’d a huge impact in that game. Look at the decisions he made on the ball and look at how he brought others into play. As well as the obvious big individual moments he produces, that’s the real key to what makes him so good”. 

Murphy helped inspire 14-man Donegal to a draw from six points down against Galway at Fr Tierney Park.

The 2012 All-Ireland winning captain, alongside Finnbarr Roarty and Peadar Mogan had been summoned at half-time. 

By then Donegal were 0-13 to 1-7 down and it would get worse before it would get better, as Stephen McMenamin’s second yellow saw him depart the fray on 44 minutes. 

With Michael Langan spending some time in the sin bin as well, it meant Donegal actually played 40 minutes of the contest without their full quota of players. 

But Peadar Mogan’s brilliant late two-pointer rescued a share of the spoils and, at the same time, helped maintain Donegal’s unbeaten Division 1 status. 

“In the overall context of things, how the game materialised, we’re happy with the effort and the point. 

“It didn’t look good early on, we didn’t settle well in that first 20 or so minutes. And it was all our own mistakes that gifted them their scores. But we dug in and dug it out there. And that stands for something as well”. 

Jim McGuinness’ side now go into the two-week break looking to nurse some of their injured players back to health ahead of a Round 6 clash away to Roscommon at Dr Hyde Park. 

Ciaran Moore, Shane O’Donnell, Dáire Ó Baoill, Caolan McColgan and Kieran Gallagher are all currently sidelined but aren’t viewed as long-term. 

Shaun Patton remains absent but McGuinness insists he’ll be ready to finally put a hand up for April 26 and that Ulster opener with Down at home. 

Exactly when Ciaran Thompson will be good to go following his ACL rehabilitation remains to be seen. But on the whole, McGee says Donegal go into the next fortnight or so in a good place. 

“We were out three weeks in a row there and, in Division 1, at that intensity and on soft pitches with so much rain, it saps the body. Even if you’re not picking up niggles or soft tissue injuries, it’s still very draining. 

“So we’ll take them down gently now in the next few days and then look to pick the pace back up towards the end of the week”. 

McGee, as a player and now a selector in the dugout, knows from experience that late February and early March isn’t any time to get carried away. 

Yes, Donegal are going well but what keeps intercounty management teams awake at night are often the less obvious things. 

“Winning is a good habit, picking up points is a good habit so it’s better to be ticking over that way, of course. 

“It’s so thick and fast that you’re racing away sometimes to analyse things where you’re actually looking at the performance more so than the result, if that makes sense. 

“Like I said, the weather has been atrocious so, for all teams, the main concern is getting through the games, getting through the weeks without any major distractions. 

“And injuries, both big and small can be real disrupters. So lads are right into their recovery and so on. 

“So even though it’s bucketing down right now, we’re all content knowing we’re into the break now, where we can sort of reset and take stock with a closer look at all of that. 

“The new rules, the game being what it is right now, the pace of it; you simply can’t get all the information you want to get across inside a week.  

“So everyone will come in the door at the start of the new week a little more relaxed. Simply because we know time is on our side once more. 

“It’ll be the exact same for every other team and management. It’s just a nice window. 

“But even though it’s a longer break, there is so much to cover that you’re looking to ramp it all up again from midweek on. 

“Like, the lads we have behind the scenes do so much work that just isn’t seen. But we all appreciate it. 

“Players and even the management are front and centre sometimes but we have a great backroom team and they make it all possible that the lads are getting the chance to put their best foot forward”.