'I would be surprised if we see Michael Murphy in a goalkeeper jersey' - Morgan

Tyrone goalkeeper and 2024 All-Star winner Niall Morgan said he would be very surprised to see Michael Murphy or anybody else besides Shaun Patton standing in goals for Donegal this season. 

With the new rules said to come into play by the end of this month, over the past few weeks, rumours began circulating about Murphy and his position in Jim McGuinness’s side with it being said that the Glenswilly man was playing in goals for Donegal in challenge matches. 

This comes from the debate around the possibility of goalkeepers creating a 12 v 11 overload in the opposition half, with three players forced to stay in the forward line at all times, resulting in the goalkeeper being a free or extra man on the attack. 

But Morgan shuts this idea down, saying there are many other factors that need to be taken into consideration if an outfield player is to wear the number 1 jersey. 

“This is the conversation we had at Tyrone as well; would it be worth me wearing an outfield jersey and, say, one of the corner-backs wearing the goalkeeper jersey? I think the positive is that you don’t count as one of the three men back, that’s a massive positive,” Morgan said. 

But the Tyrone native points out that whoever is wearing the goalkeeper jersey, even if it is Murphy, must stand inside the box for the kickouts, thus eliminating the team’s target man. 

“Let’s take Donegal as an example; Shaun Patton is the best kicker of a ball in Ireland in terms of his accuracy and distance. So, if he’s hitting the kickouts, and Michael Murphy’s wearing the goalkeeper jersey, Michael Murphy has to stand inside the six-yard box,” he said. 

“So, you’re losing your target man for the kickouts. Or else, Michael Murphy has to hit the kickouts and in that case, Shaun Patton becomes one of the outfield players.” 

Morgan also points to the fact that if the goalkeeper on the team is wearing an outfield jersey but is playing in nets, he still can’t touch the ball on the ground if making a save. 

READ NEXT: Donegal's next step: Jim McGuinness's second season has already set pulses racing

“I went into goals in a club game for a penalty, though I was wearing the outfield jersey and was warned on multiple occasions by the referee that, ‘if you touch that ball on the ground, I’m giving another penalty’.  

“So, teams will start shooting from maybe 20 metres along the ground, towards the corner, knowing that if Patton is in nets, wearing an outfield jersey, he can’t touch the ball on the ground.” 

The Edendork man has also refuted claims that Murphy will be left free if he is used in goals and Donegal wants to play him as a free man on the attack and create an overload. 

“I’ve seen somebody saying that Michael Murphy is going to come up the field and be left absolutely free, but if anybody thinks that Michael Murphy is entering a half of the pitch and is not being man-marked, they are insane,” he pointed out. 

“I would be very surprised if we see Michael Murphy in the Donegal goalkeeper jersey this year.”