In the Leinster Championship, Murphy was an outstanding performer as Carlow almost caused the shock of the year when they drew 1-12 apiece with Meath in Tullamore. Murphy was, at times, simply unstoppable on the day, scoring a point from midfield, but it was his running with the ball which caused Meath all sorts of problems. A Carlow side depleted by injury (Daniel St Ledger) and suspension (Derek Hayden and Paul Reid) were well beaten in the replay (2-21 to 9 points, Murphy again scoring a point), but ran Laois (who went on to reach the All Ireland quarter final) close in Portlaoise in Round 1 of the qualifiers, eventually losing 1-10 to 9 points. This result precipitated the resignation of Carlow manager Luke Dempsey after a four-year reign.