Murphy's law to keep it simple

Age: 29.

Height: 6'0".

Occupation: Sales Representative.

Club: St Patrick's.

Championship debut: 1993 v Laois.

Honours: 1 Leinster SFC (1999), 1 NFL (1994).

Cormac Murphy peels his gloves off and breathlessly begins to deconstruct the mythical Meath defence of which he is a part.

"You never know what's going to happen in games now. You can be pulled all over the pitch and you just got to go with it. At the end of the day, you concentrate on one man, two hands and two legs. And that's it."

Before the All-Ireland semi-final, corner back colleague Mark O'Reilly echoed those same sentiments. They would have you believe that there is no mystery to this, that it's all just dogged concentration really.

"You know, everybody has been building up the defence," continues Murphy.

"And fair enough. But don't be surprised if it's some of the forwards who are making the news on Monday morning."

Although Murphy has seen a fair few football seasons turn - he made his championship debut in Portlaoise back in 1993 - his absence from the 1996 team encourages the perception that he is a relatively new find by Sean Boylan. He is a constant presence now - Sunday next will mark his 13th championship appearance - and he talks about life in the firing line with boundless enthusiasm.

"It's still a dream for me to win an All-Ireland, that's how it has been for as long as I can remember. My attitude is that I am going to enjoy this week. I mean, it's the biggest occasion many of us will have in our lives and a lot of footballers never get to experience it so it is something to be savoured. I think by the Tuesday or Wednesday before the game, the nerves will start in earnest, you begin to focus on what is ahead and know that this is going to be no ordinary weekend."

Meath in an All-Ireland final? To many observers, it doesn't seem all that extraordinary. There was a steady, crushing momentum to Meath's passage through this year's championship, so inexorable that by the semi-final against Armagh, few pundits could see beyond the shadow they cast. For Murphy though, that match holds curious memories.

"All-Ireland semi-finals are funny anyway. No-one ever remembers a beaten semi-finalist. There was this whole emotional thing behind Armagh and some were tipping then. Others expected us to get to the final and I suppose we felt a certain pressure to do that." Although the full back line listed in the early stages, the abandonment of Darren Fay's roving role in favouring of anchoring the defence at full back again steadied matters and Armagh's attack was drained of imagination and will as the second half progressed. Murphy has been an integral part of this defence, a quiet, effective corner back and quintessentially Meath; fast, athletic, a good ball player and no-nonsense. On Sunday, he will most likely pair off with Philip Clifford, the young captain who tore Mayo to shreds in the pivotal moments of the other semi-final.

"I see similarities between both teams. Both have solid defences and a fair bit of experience behind them. Hard to predict how it will go but I don't think the league semi-final game between the two teams bears any real relevance to this match. There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then. We have a summer behind us now, and both teams are playing for a different cause. It all comes down to one day now."