Donegal legend Michael Murphy has today ruled himself out of the running for the Senior Manager position of the Donegal footballers.
The 2012 All-Ireland champions have been without a manager since Paddy Carr and his successor, Aidan O'Rourke, left the role. Carr decided to step down following the team's heavy defeat to Mayo last October, which led to Donegal's relegation from Division One to Division Two of the Allianz Football League.
O'Rourke, who replaced Carr, also departed after Donegal's loss to Tyrone in the All-Ireland championship, with a final score of 1-18 to 0-13 at MacCumhaill Park last month.
Murphy, who retired from the inter-county scene last year, was asked about the possibility of going into coaching. He explained that the time commitment required for football would be challenging for him.
"Not yet, not yet," he told The Irish Mirror. "Listen, timing, I suppose last year the reason I moved away from playing was because of the whole energy thing of what’s required on an everyday basis, that’s the whole thing I would have struggled to give.
"I knew myself it was something I would struggle to give, and moving into management, listen, it’s a big thing. Moving into senior inter-county management and seeing the way recent managers that I’ve had took on the role; playing you probably get an opportunity to rest for a few hours of the day in order to try and perform at your best.
Captain Michael Murphy lifts the Anglo Celt for Donegal (photo: Michael O'Donnell)"But management now, for what I see in order to do it right and the way it needs to be done, it’s massive hours within every single day. Plus added into the fact I need to go and learn the trade, I need to go and learn about it and maybe go and figure out coaching and figure out management."
While Murphy has not ruled out the possibility of going into management in the future, he currently does not have a definitive answer. He wants to acquire the necessary knowledge and experience before diving into the demanding role of senior inter-county management.
"I need to go and learn the trade, I need to go and learn about it and maybe go and figure out coaching and figure out management," added the Letterkenny native.
"I’ve been coaching the local minors for the past few years, and at that level, I give it my all for a few days a week, but that’s what it is - a few days of the week.
"So I’m not foolish enough to think that I could throw myself into something. But as I said, if you had asked the question five or six years ago, I would have said I'd love to give inter-county management a crack, but the more I see of what’s involved in recent years, the more it wouldn’t be a definite 'yes, give it a go' answer.
"But definitely, I'll do everything I can to put myself in a position to see if it's something I enjoy. I think I would definitely want to do that."
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