Brendan Murphy (Carlow footballer)

Brendan Murphy is an Irish sportsman from Rathvilly, County Carlow, born on 26 March 1989, who plays for his local club Rathvilly and for the Carlow senior football team. He played minor football for Carlow, including in the team that lost the 2007 Leinster minor final to Laois at Croke Park. His performances led to a contract offer from the Sydney Swans, and in November 2007 he moved to Sydney to try to switch from Gaelic football to Australian rules football. After a shoulder injury in March 2009 while playing for the Swans Reserves in the AFL Canberra league, he returned to Ireland in late 2009, and Rathvilly won the 2009 Carlow Senior Football Championship. In 2010 he helped Carlow reach the Leinster Under 21 semi-final against Dublin and received the Cadbury Hero of the Future award for March 2010. He was chosen for Ireland in the International Rules Series against Australia in 2010 and 2011.