NeiL_M steps away from coaching

The former c0ntact and Grayhound coach will pivot to a different role in CS:GO.

Neil "⁠NeiL_M⁠" Murphy has announced that he will no longer be coaching for the foreseeable future, bringing an end to a nearly ten-year-long career spent in the role on various lineups.

NeiL_M dove into coaching in 2012 with Reason after a playing career in CS: Source, linking up with Henry "⁠HenryG⁠" Greer on an all-British roster. From there, he became a journeyman over the course of the following years, spending time on a variety of British, international, and Australian rosters, most notably Imperial, Grayhound, CR4ZY, and c0ntact.

NeiL_M helped Grayhound qualify for StarLadder Berlin's Challenger Stage

During his time with those teams, the 32-year-old Irish coach enjoyed modest success, winning Copenhagen Games 2018, DreamHack Open Summer 2018, and finishing in 3-4th place at DreamHack Open Montreal 2018 with Imperial.

He also helped Grayhound qualify for the New Challengers Stage of StarLadder Major Berlin via the Asia Minor, and secured another tournament title with CR4ZY, beating HEROIC in the grand final of DreamHack Open Rotterdam 2019.

The team also managed playoff appearances in DreamHack Open Atlanta, Winter, and Sevilla, and seemed to be on the rise in Europe. However, following the move to c0ntact in early 2020 and the loss of Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković and Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač, the team struggled to reach similar heights, spending most of 2020 outside of the top 30.

NeiL_M went on to depart the roster at the start of 2021, and has mostly been on the sidelines since, only making a brief appearance as the coach for MANS NOT HOT in the European Development Championship closed qualifier. Putting his time as a coach behind him for now, the Irishman is set to pivot to a different role, assuring that he will continue in CS:GO with an update regarding his future to follow in short order.