Sean Murphy (Na Fianna), pictured ahead of the AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final, which takes place this Sunday, January 19 at Croke Park at 1.30pm, between Na Fianna (Dublin) and Sarsfields (Cork).
By Cian O’Connell
Underage titles never guarantees silverware at adult level. Still, Na Fianna persevered, believing that one day they could compete strongly in the Dublin senior ranks. That passion is being rewarded on the Leinster and national stage too.
Sunday’s AIB All-Ireland Club SHC decider against Sarsfields is an eagerly anticipated encounter, but Na Fianna’s Seán Murphy acknowledges the sheer hard work that has taken place in the Mobhi Road club. “Years and years, really, of work,” Murphy responds.
“Football in Na Fianna has always been big and it still is. Hurling, over time, gradually became popular. Obviously, the talent started to roll through, and we started to be able to compete at underage level. It took a while, then, for that to transfer across to adult level, but it did, eventually. Hurling is probably just as big now as football in the club.”
Those juvenile triumphs mattered because confidence was gained. “Of course, first and foremost, it is nice to get the sense of belief that once you started winning things, not that you become used to winning, but you know you can do it,” Murphy says.
“Then, that will stick with players and you carry that through, whether progressing through minor to U21 into intermediate or senior. If you've some wins under the belt, you've that bit of belief that you can go on to do it.”
Ultimately, even following those heartening underage victories, it can be difficult to translate that into the senior game. “You're dead right and there was a bit of a gap between our underage successes - between the minor, U21s before we started to really compete at senior level,” Murphy replies.
Na Fianna hurlers Diarmuid Clerkin and Seán Murphy. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
“I think it is just about becoming accustomed to the senior game, how physical it is and how fast paced it is. After the couple of years, thankfully with the talent we had coming through, we've started to compete, and the last three or four years has been a testament to that.”
Niall Ó Ceallacháin, who takes charge of Dublin in 2025, has been a central protagonist in the Na Fianna hurling story. “Consistency is the word there,” Murphy says. “Niall has been fantastic for Na Fianna hurling. I first came up to the team years ago, 11 or 12 years ago, Niall was the manager at the time. That is how long he has been knocking around the set-up.
“Obviously, there was a couple of different managers in between, but he is back now, he brings that consistency and professionalism to it. He has us focused on what we want to achieve ourselves, he instils belief in us, and we take it from there as players.”
Did Murphy always believe that Na Fianna could become such a respected hurling force in the capital? “Initially, in the first few years we were obviously very, very competitive, but as a senior team we weren't really getting out of the group,” he says.
“Our year could have ended around August or so. It is only in the last couple of years, the last four or five years, where we've really stepped it up and been able to compete. That is when the belief comes, when you see you're getting results and improving year on year.
“Once you see the improvement there, you see the talent in the team, you really start to believe that days like this can be possible.”
