Even during his Donegal underage career, Michael Murphy was a player who looked back on an experience and wondered how he could learn from it.
In early 2006, the future Donegal captain was part of an Ireland U17 team which travelled to Australia for an international rules series.
"I had just turned 16 and I was going all the way across the world to play for Ireland," Murphy told the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Moments podcast.
"To me, I was always on the journey and I was trying to pick up little snippets. Even if you were playing someone from across the world in a slightly different game, they were still in and around the same age as you, and you were looking to see, 'Well, how do you measure up against them?' To me, it was always an education, 'Where am I lacking a little bit? Where's my strengths? Let's double down on them'.
"I didn't let the disappointments really overburden me. 100 per cent, it was disappointment in that I wanted to win as much as anybody else but this was part of a journey. You can either take learnings and do something about it or you hide away and not take any learnings, and hope that your strengths will continue to come to the fore."
29 July 2006; Michael Murphy, Donegal, in action against Liam Brennan and Sean Pender, right, Offaly. ESB All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Quarter-Final, Donegal v Offaly, St Tighearnach's Park Clones, Co. Monaghan. Picture credit; Oliver McVeigh / SPORTSFILE
During the games, Murphy had what was then the novel experience of his marker looking to attack. He came home knowing that he needed to increase his aerobic capacity.
"I played as an inside forward in that team," he said.
"The [Australian backs] all attacked. I was left with a decision in my head, 'Well, that doesn't normally happen back home. They come back in and you get to stay up front'.
"I had that added headache of having to go follow them up and down the field. Aerobically, that way of defending and getting up and down the pitch was something I came away with, that I could get myself into a better position."
Though offers to join AFL teams came his way, Murphy said "there was never a decision there to be made for me" and he remained in Ireland.
That year, the 16-year-old Murphy - in his first year at minor - was part of the Donegal team which won the Ulster title with victory over Antrim at Croke Park.
They beat Offaly in the All-Ireland quarter-final and then faced a Kerry team featuring future senior All-Ireland winners Tommy Walsh, David Moran, Shane Enright and Johnny Buckley in the semi-final.
While his strength had matched up "OK" against the Australians earlier in the year, it was a different case against Walsh. Kerry won the game 2-13 to 1-10.
17 September 2006; Tommy Walsh, Kerry, in action against Stephen Ormsby, Roscommon. ESB All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Final, Kerry v Roscommon, Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE
"I was palmed out of the way that day in Croke Park," said Murphy.
"Tommy Walsh was on a different stratosphere. He was just a phenomenal minor. He was in the middle of the field and David Moran played at wing-forward as a big number 10. They were men playing minor football. They were just so skilful.
"I came away from that, and for me, it was always, 'Right, this is the level, the standard. Don't shy away from it. Let's now do something about it'.
"To me that winter it was about going away and trying to get into the gym that little bit more and work on the deficiencies that didn't allow me compete the way I wanted in the All-Ireland semi-final. I proactively tried to do something about it and come back as a better person for the next challenge."
The following year, Murphy made his senior championship debut for Donegal in the qualifiers against Leitrim. He also played minor and U21 football for the county that year.
"For one year only in 2007, I was in three teams," said Murphy.
"I absolutely adored it. I had a ball. You hear of burnout, and I'm sure it happens, I was just obsessed with wanting to play for Donegal.
"I was very fortunate at the time with the senior manager, Brian McIver. At the time, I thought he was a lovely man - still is. I'd look back on it now when I'm doing a bit of coaching myself and think 'He really handled the whole situation really well'.
"Not only was I playing with three county teams but I was also playing with St Eunan's College in Letterkenny. We won the MacLarnon Cup and got to the All-Ireland.
27 May 2007; Donegal manager, Brian McIver, gives his team some final instructions. Bank of Ireland Ulster Senior Football Championship, Donegal v Armagh, MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal. Picture credit: Oliver McVeigh / SPORTSFILE
"He would always have been ringing, 'How are the games going?' Make sure to go away and play that college game. It was a very mature thing for him to say. I remember quite early on in the year that I was worried about what the other senior players were thinking, 'He's away now playing with his college. Is he really fully invested in this group?'
"I remember Brian earlier on in that year saying 'Listen, you're going to go away, do your bit with the minors, do your bits with the college team and with the U21 team and we'll have you targeted for championship'. It was a huge confidence boost for myself but he also saw a bigger picture rather than just the weekend's game.
"That's not easy to do as an inter-county manager because the weekend's game is the thing that you're measured by. I'll always be indebted to him for that understanding and care."
See Also: Why Michael Murphy's GAA Management Ambitions Have Cooled
