Inter-county
Murray first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Limerick senior inter-county team in 2005. He lined out in a challenege game against Tipperary in late 2005, a game which Limerick won with Murray keeping a clean sheet as goalkeeper. He impressed in that game and made his competitive debut against the same opposition in a National Hurling League game in early 2006. Murray remained as the first-choice goalkeeper for all but one game of the National League. The team remained unbeaten and qualified for the final against Kilkenny. It was an unhappy day for Limerick as 'the Cats' won the day by 3-11 0-14. Murray's performances were so impressive that he edged out Timmy Houlihan as the regular Limerick goalkeeper for the championship. He made his debut in the Munster championship against Tipperary, however, Limerick's championship losing streak continued and they were defeated. After moving successfully through the qualifier system Murray's side later played defending champions Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Although the team only lost by a point it was a game that Limerick could easily have won.
In 2007 Limerick faced near neighbours Tipperary in the semi-final of the Munster championship. That game ended in a draw with both sides scoring 1-19. The replay saw Limerick in arrears by ten points at half-time, however, Murray's side rallied to level the game at the end of normal time. A period of extra time failed to separate the sides and a score line of 1-24 to 2-21 resulted in a second replay. Once again, Limerick looked vulnerable at times during the game, however, they grinded out a victory with a score line of 0-22 to 2-13. It was Limerick's first win in the Munster championship since 2001. Murray later lined out against Waterford in the Munster final, however, they were defeated on a score line of 3-17 to 1-14. These two sides later met again in the All-Ireland semi-final, however, manager Richie Bennis had done his homework and master-minded a surprise 5-11 to 2-15 victory over the Munster champions. This victory allowed Murray's side to play Kilkenny in the championship decider. Unfortunately, Limerick got off to a bad start with Murray letting in two goals by Eddie Brennan and Henry Shefflin in the first ten minutes. Limerick fought back, however, 'the Cats', however, went on to win the game by six points. In spite of this loss Murray was later presented with his first All-Star award, marking him out as the best goalkeeper in the championship.
After the highs of the previous year, 2008 proved to be a difficult year for the Limerick hurlers. The team were trounced by 4-12 to 1-16 in opening game of the championshop by Clare. The newly-structured qualifier system pitted Murray's side against Offaly in a must-win game. Limerick, however, were out of sorts as Murray left in three goals leading to a 3-19 to 0-18 defeat. Limerick's involvement in the championship came to an end following this trouncing.
In 2009 Justin McCarthy took over as Limerick manager. After a poor showing in the National League, Limerick's first championship assignment was a Munster semi-final showdown with Waterford. That game, described by many pundits as the worst game in the history of the provincial championship, ended in a draw. The replay was a big improvement, however, Murray ended up on the losing side by 0-25 to 0-17. Limerick later maneuvered through the qualifiers, narrowly defeating Wexford, Laois and Dublin. It was the first time that Limerick secured three championship victories in-a-row since 1996. In the game against ‘the Dubs’ Murray was brought all the way up the field to convert a penalty. A four-point victory allowed Limerick to advance to the All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary.
Read more about this topic: Brian Murray (hurler), Playing Career