JBM Shares Brilliant Croke Park Story That Sums Up Roy Keane's Stubbornness

Irish Premier League fans were given a pleasant surprise on Monday Night Football back in 2022, when Roy Keane brought the inspirational talents of Jimmy Barry Murphy to the attention of a wider audience.

Barry Murphy is among the greatest ever sportspeople to emerge from the county of Cork, and would no doubt be many people's pick as the very best. The St Finbarr's icon won four All-Ireland medals across a 13-year playing career, split evenly across Gaelic football and hurling. In management, he delivered another Liam MacCarthy crown to the Rebel County in 1999.

When asked to name his top three favourite athletes on MNF, Keane opted for boxers Muhammad Ali and Barry McGuigan - before plumping for the legendary JBM as his third pick.

Barry Murphy was duly enlisted when Keane, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher visited Ireland for the Overlap on Tour series last year. Alongside Kilkenny legend TJ Reid, Barry Murphy was enlisted to give the trio a crash course in hurling on the Croke Park pitch.

Naturally, Keane required less assistance than his counterparts, having grown up in the hurling-mad county.

The Manchester United hero's grá for hurling is well-documented but, in a podcast this week, Barry Murphy told a Gaelic football story from that day in Croke Park that summed up the relentless competitiveness of Roy Keane.

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Jimmy Barry Murphy was the special guest on this week's episode of the BBC's GAA Social podcast.

Cork hero Barry Murphy spoke on his relationship with Roy Keane. He revealed that it was Gaelic football, not hurling, that brought out his competitive side in Croke Park when the Overlap crew enlisted Barry Murphy's services last year.

"It was funny, we were in Croke Park doing that Overlap thing," Barry Murphy explained.

"TJ Reid was showing them how to do the hurling - I'm gone beyond doing that! There was a Gaelic football there and Roy was trying to kick the ball over from about 30 yards out. He just couldn't do it.

"He was still there. He was determined to stay until he kicked a point with a Gaelic football. It was driving him around the bend, he just could not do it."

You would expect nothing less from one of the most fiercely competitive sportspeople Ireland has ever produced.

Despite winning seven Premier League titles with Manchester United and reaching the World Cup knockouts with Ireland, you get the sense there is nowhere in this world Roy Keane is happier than Croke Park on a massive Cork hurling day.

Barry Murphy confirmed as much on the GAA Social from his discussions with Keane that day in Croke Park.

I had a great chat with him...TJ was there and Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.

I was talking to Roy - I'm not betraying anything here - he just said, 'There's nothing like when Cork are in Croke Park.'

I said to him, 'Roy, what about Ireland and Champions League?'

'Ah,' he said, 'Nothing like Cork on All-Ireland final day in Croke Park.' And he meant it!

He said it's hurling particularly. He has season tickets for Páirc Uí Chaoímh, obviously, and he's a great Cork follower.

We've seen Roy Keane in the stands for many a big Cork day in the past, including last year's All-Ireland final defeat to Clare.

No doubt Keano will be there once more if the Rebels make the decider again this summer - and he'll be hoping for a different result.