Ireland's new recruit, Emily Murphy, has claimed there is more to come from her promising Wales cameo. Murphy, who is based in North Carolina, was handed her debut this week in the 2-0 defeat to Wales.
Despite being born in England, Murphy qualifies to play for Ireland through her Dublin-born father. Murphy was granted her international clearance two weeks ago.
After a strong 2023, where Ireland made it to their first Women's World Cup and the side also won six out of six games in their Nations League group, Murphy claims that choosing to be part of the current Ireland squad is one of the best decisions she has made to date.
"Honestly, I've had the best ten to 12 days with these girls," she said. "It was a decision I knew I wanted to make, and I don’t regret it at all. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. Eileen [Gleeson] put some trust and faith in me. The girls have been great. I had a really good time, despite the result.
"During that time I was training with Vera Pauw, I was making many life decisions to either stay at home or go out to the US. I was very young. I’ve got my head screwed on now, and I made the right decision."
There could have been scenario where she could have rejected Ireland and her dad could have pushed her, but that never happened, Choosing Ireland was an easy choice for her and her Dublin native dad
Dublin , Ireland - 27 February 2024; Emily Murphy of Republic of Ireland during the international women's friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Wales at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)"My dad tried to stay out of the decision-making process for me, but I knew what he wanted, and I knew what I wanted. It was just a matter of time," she added.
"I was just trying to imagine the thoughts and feelings going through my mom and my granddad, who were in the stands. I wasn't focused on anything else; I was keeping focus on what we had to do, the task at hand, and how my mom was going to feel."
Her performance in the 10 against Wales was one of the bright sparks, and she also received praise from Ireland boss Eileen Gleeson after the game. Murphy now believes there is more to come from Ireland in 2024.
"We're a young squad," Murphy said. "The best has yet to come from these girls, and I think that with the preparation we’ve got coming and even the last two weeks we’ve had, we’ve got a really positive and exciting group.
"We deserve to be here; we’ve proved that countless times. We’re ready for whatever opposition we pull out, and we’re ready to win that group."
