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23rd May 2017
02:47pm BST

"We could sit back and look at it that way [like a punishment], you could get a bit downbeat by it, but it is what it is and, for Carlow football, it's just great that we have an extra two weeks in the Leinster championship," Brendan Murphy opened up in a brilliant interview on The GAA Hour. "We'll do the best that we can with the two weeks training and put in the biggest amount of effort we can on the day but whatever happens happens. "We're just going to enjoy it - enjoy the build-up, the big crowd and playing against one of the best teams that, for me, have ever played the game. These days don't come around too often and whatever happens at the final whistle, so be it. "We need to be positive about this and really drive into training now for the next two weeks."
He also wasn't playing down the scale of what they did. Most GAA players are conditioned to look straight to the next game. Whatever happened is now gone but they were cherishing every last second of it.
Carlow manager Turlough O'Brien was invited onto The Sunday Game highlights show that evening too. It was a lovely touch to mark a lovely occasion.
"For some people in bigger counties, they might take for granted, that sort of thing," Murphy said. "But, for Carlow, that's huge, Turlough going up there. Every pub in Carlow quietened down to watch The Sunday Game and to see the bit of exposure that Carlow and Turlough got. "I haven't won much but I'd almost compare it to winning the county final with my club. That was the sort of adrenaline rush, the feeling after it, it was just incredible. "Carlow need these little days to really bring the thing on. There was a minor team playing before us who were very unlucky not to win but for them to be able to sit in the stand afterwards and see a Carlow team win, it's huge. It doesn't happen too often. "Younger players don't aspire to be a Carlow senior footballer because we don't achieve success so if we can get these little steps along the way, it will create a bit of interest in the set-up and really drive Carlow on."Listen to the full interview from 56:35 below or subscribe here on iTunes.
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