Australian Football

One of a select group of footballers to play for four elite clubs, Justin Murphy was an extremely talented outside midfielder who kicked long and was capable of accumulating high disposal tallies.

At his first club, Richmond, he struggled to make an impression, playing just 12 games and registering nine goals in 1994-5. It was a different story at his next port of call, Carlton, where he produced consistently good football in 79 games over five seasons, kicking the impressive tally of 76 goals. Failure to see eye to eye with Blues coach Wayne Brittain led to his being traded to Geelong in 2001 and he enjoyed a fine season, averaging 21 disposals a game, and running third in the club’s best and fairest count. However, his heart remained at Carlton, and the 2002 season saw him back with the Blues. Once again he displayed some good football, but there were also some form lapses, often brought about by his difficulty in shrugging off the attentions of opposition taggers. In 2004, after 115 games and 105 goals in a Carlton jumper, he was traded to Essendon, where he rounded off his career in some style, adding a final 40 AFL appearances and 28 goals over two seasons.

After retiring from the AFL scene Murphy continued to exhibit a penchant for club-hopping as, over the ensuing decade or so, he played for Heidelberg, Tatura and Knox Falcons. He also spent a number of summer seasons playing for Waratah in the NTFL.

Author - John Devaney