Meath goalkeeper Brendan Murphy has effectively ended his intercounty career by hooking up with soccer outfit Longford Town. The former Wimbledon, Bradford and Republic of Ireland underage goalie has long been linked with a return to the rival code, and he told Meath boss Eamonn O'Brien that he's made his decision due to time restrictions: "I was finding it tremendously difficult to motivate myself for the amount of training you have to do as an intercounty footballer. People don't realise what lads have to go through training-wise. "Your whole life has to be dedicated to gaelic football and there's a lot more to it than playing at Croke Park. Of course it will be difficult to watch the Meath lads playing Dublin, but it's more a time issue for me at this stage. "Also, you have to be hungry and fresh to keep going in the GAA and that's probably a bit easier for the younger lads. "I gave it 110% while I was with Meath and, don't get me wrong, it was not an easy decision. At the same time, I still feel I have a lot to offer in sports in general, but I just can't be as committed to the gaelic side of things." Tweet

Most Read Stories