FORMER AUSTRALIAN RULES player Red Óg Murphy has confirmed that he won’t be available to the Sligo footballers in 2022.

The Curry attacker will concentrate on club action and his teacher training studies at DCU in what will come as a blow to the Yeats County.

Murphy, 21, returned from an AFL stint at North Melbourne in late 2019 and went on to feature in all 12 of Sligo’s League and Championship games throughout 2020 and 2021, scoring 1-15.

He started nine of those games and was a virtual ever present under Paul Taylor in 2020 with his last appearance coming as a sub in the heavy Championship defeat to Mayo last June.

Speaking to promote the Win a House in Sligo draw, organised by his club Curry and Roscommon’s Shannon Gaels, Murphy confirmed he won’t be involved with Tony McEntee’s Sligo next season.

“I’ve decided that for this year coming I won’t be going in with Sligo,” said Murphy. “I have plenty going on with my club and with DCU so that is going to be where my focus is. I’m not saying I’m done with county football, it’s definitely not going to be my last year or anything. If I’m ever asked back in, it’s always something you’d consider.”

Murphy said his move isn’t linked to the GAA’s decision to reject Proposal B and football Championship reform at the recent Special Congress.

But with assurances from GAA President Larry McCarthy that the issue will be revisited, potentially in time for the 2023 Championship, Murphy said he would favour change.

The league based Championship recommended to Special Congress delegates would have guaranteed all counties at least seven games each summer.

That would be a huge boost to Sligo who have only played three Championship games in the last three seasons, partly due to a Covid-19 related withdrawal in 2020.

“I liked the idea of getting a bit of momentum behind us and playing a good few games each summer,” said Murphy. “We didn’t get much benefit out of just one Championship game against Mayo this year. I’d compare it to our club, Curry. We went down to intermediate and we kind of just reset ourselves and built a bit of confidence again and won the 2020 championship after three years there. This year we got to a senior semi-final and lost to the eventual champions Tourlestrane after extra-time. So you could see the progression element to it and I think the same thing could apply with the county for teams looking to come up through the divisions.”

Murphy was snapped up by North Melbourne in late 2018 and spent the majority of 2019 Down Under.

But his heart wasn’t in a game he didn’t love and he called it quits despite booting four goals in a dozen games for the North Melbourne reserves.

“Looking back on it now, it’s almost surreal that it happened, that I was a professional player with a professional club in Australia,” said Murphy. “I look back on it as a very positive experience and an unbelievable opportunity. There’s no regret there at all.

“Since I’ve been back, I’ve talked to a few people who have come home themselves and others who are going out, or potentially going out. You can’t really compare situations, everyone is unique and you’ll know yourself, deep down, if you want to be there or not.”

AFL’s loss was Curry’s gain and Murphy’s club, along with Shannon Gaels, are offering someone the chance to live mortgage free in a brand new house in Sligo worth over EUR340,000. The three-bedroom home is located seven minutes from surfer’s paradise Strandhill Beach. The winner will be announced on 9 January and tickets are available at winahouseinsligo.ie.