Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Waterford's Conor Murray, pictured at last week's Munster launch.Brendan Moran/SPORTSFILE FreeConor Murray 'Four o'clock in the morning, listening to it on Tipp FM' - Back from Sydney for Waterford Waterford captain Conor Murray has returned from Australia as the Munster championship beckons. 10.35am, 2 Apr 2025 Share options LAST APRIL IN Dungarvan, the crowd present tipped just over the 1,000 mark, there to witness a piece of Waterford football history. For the first time since 1988, neighbours Tipperary were defeated with Tom O’Connell blasting Waterford to victory with two goals in their Munster opener. Conor Murray had spent years committed to the Waterford cause but at the time of the breakthrough, he was on the other side of the world keeping track of the events unfolding. “I was in Australia for six months. It (the game) wasn’t live-streamed, so it was like four o’clock in the morning I was listening to it on Tipp FM. They weren’t too happy but I was! “There were certain parts of the year where I didn’t miss it at all, but then coming up to championship and when the Tailteann Cup came around as well, I did start to miss it. You just know what it feels like being part of a group that’s after winning a game or two. That’s the part I missed.” Murray took a career break from his job as a secondary school teacher in Blackwater CS, whee he teaches Business and Economics, to head to Australia. He played some football with the Penrith Gaels club in Sydney. Advertisement “It was nice to keep the eye in when I was away. It’s a higher standard than you’d expect. There are a lot of lads going now so it kind of lends itself to that.” “I’d say if preparation was taken as seriously as it is here at home, a lot of the teams would compete in Division 2 or 3. Genuinely. Cormac McAnallens have a serious team. They have a huge cohort of Laois lads and a lot of good northern lads as well. It’s a serious standard.” The primary aim was to step off the inter-county treadmill for a while and reset. “When I was away, it opened my eyes to the amount of time that you put into it. Like you never switch off when you’re at home. It’s always what can I do to prepare best for the game next weekend or in two weeks. So I don’t blame lads for going away. It’s great, it’s an honour to play inter-county football, it’s really a privilege, but there’s other things as well for lads. Conor Murray in action for Waterford against Tipperary.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO “It gave me a new lease of life. I was after playing eight years at that stage, and I felt I did need a break. It was just non-stop with the club as well. We were after getting to six county finals in a row so it was literally full year round. I’m glad I went and I came back re-energised and mad for ball. “I wouldn’t say obsessive but when I’m doing something, I want to do it right. I think that’s what it comes down to as well. Your mindset around that, if you’re doing it, you want to do it right and don’t half arse it as such.” He returned to help Rathgormack retain their Waterford senior title and they came desperately close to a famous win in Munster against Kerry’s Dr Crokes. “It’s probably a sore enough point. I think it was one we left behind us and you don’t really get many opportunities to take down a big team like Crokes. It’s hard enough to get back to that position, winning your own county championship and then getting a home draw against a big club like Crokes.” If 2024 generated some momentum for Waterford with that Munster victory over Tipperary and a Tailteann Cup success against Longford, the issue in trying to build on it has cropped up once more. “So the problem is the turnover. There’s probably eight or nine of that group gone. So it’s hard to build that momentum and confidence. It takes time for those new lads to bed in, but it does give you confidence when you go out and face those teams, in particular. “The lads that were there last year, they know we’re capable of competing. Like any team in Division 4, we know we’re good enough on our day to beat anyone if we have our house in order.” This Saturday offers a rematch with Tipperary in the Munster quarter-final in Semple Stadium, Murray set to captain Waterford. Tom O'Connell celebrates his goal for Waterford against Tipperary in the Munster quarter-final last year.Ken Sutton / INPHO Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO “I was captain in 2020 as well but that was during Covid so that was cut short. We’ve five lads on the panel from the club so it is nice to be to be chosen. Any of the other lads could have been chosen as well so it’s a great privilege to be captain. “We played Tipp in the League there five or six weeks ago and they beat us so maybe that’d be something to focus on. As a young lad, there’s two places you want to play, Croke Park and Semple Stadium so we’re looking forward to the opportunity to play there in two weeks.” Fintan O'Toole Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'Four o'clock in the morning, listening to it on Tipp FM' - Back from Sydney for Waterford”. 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