Naas manager Joe Murphy aware of "huge challenge" ahead of Kildare SFC final against Clane

Naas manager, Joe Murphy, knows what success on the football field is all about.
The Carlow native, in his first season with Naas and whose native club is Éire Óg has enjoyed incredible success down the years; success that he was at the heart of all that success.

There are few players who can boast of having no less than five Leinster Club medals in the locker (not that Joe was boasting, far from it) but that is one incredible achievement and one the Naas boss in rightly proud of.
“Those were great days, we enjoyed every moment of them, it also builds up a love for club football, club championship football, and it is something that has never left me, I know inter-county is different, you get all the publicity and all the notoriety and all that goes with that but for me the most honest form of football is club football; that is where my love of football sprung from and remains to this day.”

And what do you think of the standard of football at club level in Kildare?
“I was here a while ago, did a few seasons with St Laurence's when I was younger and I was amazed at the standard of football in the county, it is amazing, even in the League, the competitiveness of the league, it is treated as nearly championship, the games that we have had this year with Naas have been remarkable, the games we had at the latter end of the League with Athy; the games against Sarsfields and Celbridge were brilliant days, so competitive, no quarter given, so enjoyable, I'd safely say the standard of club football in Kildare can stand with any county in the country to be honest with you.”

And the Naas club itself and the talent there?
The talent in Naas, experienced, a lot of young talent, no shortage?
“I hear other people talking constantly about individuals, especially friends of my own that would come up from Carlow, to see Naas because of my involvement and offer me support and the constant question, time and time again, is 'why is that lad or this lad not on the Kildare team' so it just shows you the depth of talent that is in the county, really, really good footballers in all clubs, many have never been involved with the county at senior, or indeed, underage set-up and really there is so much fruit for the picking here.”

And what of Clane, presumably you were at their semi-final, what are your thoughts?
“Lovely mix of experience and youth, very athletic, lovely pace about them, have some really top class talented players and they are going to be a huge challenge to us but we are all fit and well and really looking to the final, it has the makings of a great game of football.”