'He's going to be vital for us this year' – McBrearty hails Murphy following return

In MacCumahill Park, Ballybofey, where Jim McGuinness teams simply do not lose, the return of Michael Murphy was always going to dominate the narrative.  

Donegal people know what he represents — leadership, presence, the very heartbeat of a side that once shook the footballing landscape under McGuinness. His name on the matchday panel was enough to send a ripple of anticipation through the county.

His introduction after 44 minutes, with Armagh still clinging to a foothold, turned that ripple into a roar. 

If there were concerns that the circus surrounding Murphy’s comeback might distract Donegal from the task at hand, Sunday’s team captain Patrick McBrearty dismissed them with the ease of a man who has seen it all before. 

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“With Michael coming back there was obviously going to be a little bit of hysteria around the place but I think our lads dealt with it well,” he said after Donegal’s 0-21 to 1-10 dismantling of Armagh.  

“Since he's come back, there has been a lot of hype around the county, but listen, as a group we just knuckle down and try to shield ourselves from that, but it's great to have him back and he's going to be vital for us going forward.” 

The script wrote itself from there. No sooner had Murphy stepped onto the field than Aidan Forker was heading in the opposite direction, dismissed for an overzealous welcome that tilted the game firmly in Donegal’s favour.  

From then on, McGuinness’s men were never in trouble as they made it three wins on the bounce in the Division 1 National League. 

Yet, for a brief period, there had been reason to wonder. Armagh struck early, with Darragh McMullin firing past Shaun Patton after just 10 minutes. The visitors threatened to upset the rhythm of the game, but Donegal soon settled into a groove, rattling off 10 unanswered points before Jason Duffy finally stemmed the bleeding on the stroke of half-time. 

McBrearty was at the heart of it, leading by example with three points of his own in the opening period. Ryan McHugh, Oisín Gallen, and Peadar Mogan all contributed to a first-half display that made a mockery of Armagh’s usually resolute defensive structure. 

“We have a lot of runners there, but Armagh are not easy to break down,” McBrearty acknowledged.  

“We were in a groove there and we hit a hot patch and that was probably the difference between winning and losing the game.” 

The second half flickered with the possibility of a contest when Ben Crealey and Andrew Murnin cut the deficit to just two points. Donegal were left ruing missed chances, with Ethan Rafferty producing a double save to deny Jamie Brennan and Oisín Gallen at point-blank range. 

But then came Murphy. And then Forker collision. And then a red card. In truth, that looked to be the end of the game as a contest. 

Murphy needed just moments to punish a poor kick-out and fire over. A minute later, he added another. McBrearty and Ciarán Thompson kept the scoreboard ticking, while Rafferty briefly kept Armagh in the conversation with a two-pointer. 

Still, the result was never in doubt. McBrearty had the chance to raise a green flag late on but settled for a point instead before Odhrán Doherty and Murphy himself added the final touches to a commanding performance. 

“I think at the start of the season we had an ambition of getting six points on the board, we have that now,” McBrearty reflected.  

“Our goal is obviously the Ulster championship when we play Derry here. That’ll be a massive test for us, but for now, we have Galway next week who beat us in the All-Ireland semi-final.  

“That’s another test for us, but they’re all big games, so, we just have to take it game by game, get back to training on Tuesday night and see what happens from there.” 

Tuesday night, then. No hysteria. Just work. Donegal under McGuinness and with Murphy back on the field would have it no other way.