Blake Murphy leaves Cork football panel

BLAKE Murphy has left the Cork senior football panel in the last few days.

The forward has departed due to frustration over a lack of game time. Murphy impressed in the Teddy McCarthy tribute match against Meath last December, kicking 1-5 (0-5 f), in the 3-12 to 1-9 victory. He started in the McGrath Cup wins this year against Clare and Waterford respectively, before coming on in the final against Kerry, where he notched up what was an important point at the time.

The Rebels would go on and beat the Kingdom on penalties. The 24-year-old was an unused substitute in the defeat to Donegal in Ballybofey in the opening fixture in the Allianz Division 2 football league, before coming on in the 69th minute in the two-point loss away to Louth. Murphy didn’t make the match day 26 in the defeat to Cavan at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh and when he wasn’t named again on the 26 for the Leesiders win over Fermanagh in Ederney last Sunday, he departed the panel.

The St Vincent’s star was a major part in the Cork U20 footballers winning the Munster and All-Ireland titles back in 2019, which included scoring 1-1 in the Munster final against old rivals Kerry and netted a crucial goal in the All-Ireland final win over Dublin, as he finished up with 1-2.

That memorable season for Murphy naturally enough caught the attention of the Cork senior football management team, and he was brought onto the panel for the 2021 season, where he stayed involved until recent days.