Donegal captain Michael Murphy joined Off The Ball to give his thoughts on the club v county argument and whether retirement is imminent.

Murphy is currently living at home with his parents and is finding unusual ways to keep match fit during lockdown.

"It's funny, it is probably the first time that the idea of retirement comes into the back of your head," Murphy says of the enforced isolation.

"It crept into the head every now and then as to what it would look like.

"I am still craving to watch some form of sport, that has been the big one. To watch any form of sport at all. Sport will be part of it, one way or another.

"But spare time; I live at home here with mum and dad and in the last 15-odd years we've probably not spent more than two hours a day with each other! That role-reversed to spending seven or eight hours a day with each other.

"You find yourself out in the garden in the wee areas where we used to kick over apple trees when you are seven or eight and now you're 30!

"You're looking around the garden seeing if other people are looking at you!"

Murphy had a serious point to make, however, about people commenting on his dedication to club and county.

"When you're in football and people talk about the commitment that you make, it doesn't really resonate with you.

"It doesn't resonate with me, anyway. It is something that I love doing. The people that are making the sacrifices are probably the family and friends that you are missing out on things with.

"I never looked at as a commitment, it is just a part of me. When I see it as a commitment is the moment I'll probably put the nail up and hang them up."

Michael Murphy on club v county

Murphy had his say on the ongoing debate about the club and county fixture list, stressing that he wants football back above all.

"The two dates that we have in mind is that late July date and October.

"In Donegal, for example, we run a club championships that is four groups of four, so you play three games - quarter-final, semi-final and final - so there are six weekends in that.

"We are fortunate in that we can run our six club games where county players are in without having to look over their shoulder about training with their county.

"You can fully commit to Tuesdays and Thursdays for that eight-week period. But then, we need a three or four-week period [into the county championship.]

"My fear is that if you stretch out the club championship and eat into that period, then county teams are going to dip in and out the whole way through the club period.

"I think there needs to be compromise on both ends. The inter-county need to look at straight knock-outs in order to get it finished in the calendar year. The club championship need to compromise to run it in an eight-week period.

"What you'll then get it is two blocks, but at least with the two blocks [...] there is no grey area.

"It may set a precedent for the future because there is no point denying the elephant in the room between club and county. It is there every week and it could help set a precedent."

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