Back to news
'She was low on confidence' - Ward hails Ireland's Player of the Match Murphy
@Source: the42.ie
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
Emily Murphy in action for Ireland against Slovenia.Ryan Byrne/INPHO
'She was low on confidence' - Ward hails Ireland's Player of the Match Murphy
Emily Murphy earned the Player of the Match award after Ireland’s victory over Slovenia.
9.47pm, 3 Jun 2025
Share options
Sinead Farrell
Reports from Páirc Uí Chaoimh
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND WNT manager Carla Ward has hailed the performance of Emily Murphy who was named the Player of the Match after their Nations League victory over Slovenia.
Ireland’s quest for automatic qualification to League A fell short in Páirc Uí Chaoimh but Murphy’s impressive display was one of the many positives for the hosts to take forward to the play-offs in October. Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, and Austria await Ireland in the draw on Friday.
Murphy, who scored the late winner against Türkiye last week, was prominent throughout and broke through for chances at goal while winning plenty of possession and breaking through tackles. She also played a part in Saoirse Noonan’s goal as she provided the pass for Jessie Stapleton to send in the delivery for Noonan’s header.
But speaking after Ireland’s 1-0 win, Ward said that Murphy was not playing with much confidence when she took over as the new manager back in January.
“She was low on confidence, had not played many minutes. We had an honest conversation with her after the first camp, that she might not be in the second camp, as we needed more from her. She’s got better and better.”
Similarly, Ireland’s goal-scorer Saoirse Noonan had a breakthrough performance this evening. Her goal on 19 minutes proved to be the difference while her all-round display was equally effective before her withdrawal on 62 minutes for Amber Barrett.
This was Noonan’s first competitive start for Ireland, starring in front of a home crowd along with fellow Cork natives Megan Connolly and Denise O’Sullivan.
“I know she’s been around a while,” Ward replied when asked about Noonan’s performance.
“Her first competitive start for her country, which I reminded her of just before the game and said, ”Look, here’s your moment.” I thought she was excellent. She held the ball up really, really well.
Advertisement
“When she came on against Türkiye, she was excellent. And tonight, she’s done exactly what we needed her to do. So, to get the goal on her home soil is pleasing.”
Reflecting on Ireland’s overall performance, Ward said she was satisfied that her team corrected the mistakes that marred last Friday’s comeback 2-1 win in Istanbul. Ireland struggled to deal with Türkiye’s counter-attack and fell behind just after half-time.
She said Ireland adapted to being a “mid-press team” against Slovenia which she wants to develop ahead of two important friendlies against the four-time World Cup winners USA in the summer before the Nations League play-offs in October.
“Probably the way I’d put it would be a Carla Ward team on the ball and an Irish mentality off the ball. That’s what we need to build on. If we want to play in an exciting way going forward, we have to be better off the ball.
“And that was the start of it tonight. Now we go to the US and play the best in the world and try to continue that work but there is still a lot of work to do.
“There was an attitude and a mentality from the word go. 15 shots on goal which is huge. We’ve not struggled to create in this group but certainly maybe struggled to be clinical. But as I said I’m nothing but proud of the group tonight.”
The Ireland team honour Louise Quinn after her final game tonight.Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Louise Quinn made her final appearance in an Ireland shirt this evening, coming on for Abbie Larkin with 10 minutes to go. Ward praised the veteran defender for imparting inspirational words to the group on full-time which focused on the next generation and the importance of never taking the Irish jersey for granted.
She added that she would like to have Quinn with the travelling group for their trip to America, but says Quinn has declined to go.
“I’ve been literally trying to convince her.
“She’s been brilliant. Even in team meetings, she sparks conversation where maybe some of the younger ones don’t. Her message at the end was so important, so important in terms of, now it’s over to you guys.”
Sinead Farrell
Viewcomments
Send Tip or Correction
Embed this post
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Email “'She was low on confidence' - Ward hails Ireland's Player of the Match Murphy”.
Recipient's Email
Feedback on “'She was low on confidence' - Ward hails Ireland's Player of the Match Murphy”.
Your Feedback
Your Email (optional)
Report a Comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment.
Please give full details of the problem with the comment...
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
before taking part.
Leave a Comment
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel.
Racism or Hate speech
An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs.
Trolling or Off-topic
An attempt to derail the discussion.
Inappropriate language
Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs.
Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts.
Please provide additional information
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
Leave a commentcancel
Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user
View our policy
⚠️ Duplicate comment
Post Comment
have your say
Or create a free account to join the discussion
Nations League
Republic Of Ireland
Future Focus
'We've got to believe that we can beat anyone' - Ireland learn potential play-off opponents
10 mins ago
FreeMatch Report
Ireland beat Slovenia at Páirc Uí Chaoimh but fall short of four-goal win needed for top spot
Reports from Páirc Uí Chaoimh
FreeCaptain
'United said they didn't want to sell me' - Fernandes confirms he rejected Saudi move
Swiatek and Sabalenka set up French Open semi-final clash as Musetti reaches last four
Inter Milan confirm boss Simone Inzaghi is leaving the club
FreeAs it happened
Republic of Ireland v Slovenia, Nations League
FreeDates For Diary
GAA confirm fixture details for All-Ireland SFC Round 3 group games
FreeAs it happened
Republic of Ireland v Slovenia, Nations League
Connacht appoint Stuart Lancaster as head coach
New Ireland call-up responds to Stephen Bradley's 'worst I've ever seen him' criticism
Liverpool’s latest bid for Florian Wirtz rejected as Bayer Leverkusen want €148 million
more from us
Investigates
Daft.ie Property Magazine
Allianz Home Magazine
The 42 Sports Magazine
Money Diaries
The Journal TV
Journal Media
Advertise With Us
About FactCheck
Our Network
FactCheck Knowledge Bank
Terms & Legal Notices
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
more from us
TV Listings
GAA Fixtures
The Video Review
Journal Media
Advertise With Us
Our Network
The Journal
FactCheck Knowledge Bank
Terms & Legal Notices
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
© 2025 Journal Media Ltd
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
Switch to Desktop
Switch to Mobile
The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie
Report an error, omission or problem:
Your Email (optional)
Create Email Alert
Create an email alert based on the current article
Email Address
One email every morning
As soon as new articles come online
Sign in or create
a free account
To continue reading create a free account
Or sign into an existing account
Related News
25 May, 2025
Djokovic lifts 100th tour-level trophy w . . .
29 May, 2025
Justin Bieber shares very handsy photos . . .
12 Feb, 2025
Keystone Bank Clarifies Court Ruling On . . .
13 Mar, 2025
“We were 17 years”: Palmer’s girlfriend . . .
18 Mar, 2025
Nintendo Switch 2 AI boost 'confirmed' a . . .
13 Apr, 2025
Cleanliness of cricket stadium during PS . . .
26 Apr, 2025
Jason Kidd Joins Everton Ownership Group . . .
25 Apr, 2025
South Korea and US aim for deal to lift . . .