Jim Main's greatest 100: John Murphy
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SEVERAL LEAGUE officials believe that if John Murphy can steer clear of injury worries he could play more than 300 VFL games. In today's hurly-burly football that would be some achievement, and although Murphy has had few injury worries in his career he missed several games in the 1976 season. Still, he is only 28 years of age and has many seasons of VFL football left in him.
Murphy joined Fitzroy from suburban zone club Heidelberg in 1967 at a low point in the club's history. The Lions finished second last that season, and although Murphy was one of the brightest lights at the club that year, the Lions were doomed to several more years in the VFL basement. In fact, they did not rise out of the bottom four until 1971 when they finished sixth.
Murphy showed all his class from his first season, soon winning himself a mortgage of the centre position. There, he roamed grounds in search of kicks and chances to send Fitzroy forward. An elegant footballer, Murphy has always had the knack of being in the right spot at the right time. He seems to read the play better than most footballers, and really knows how to use the ball when he gets it. Most of his football has been in the centre, but lately he also has been used as a ruck rover or half forward flanker. This has helped Fitzroy enormously, especially in goal scoring. The Lions have lacked key position forwards for years, relying on their smaller players for the bulk of goals.
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Murphy has more than done his bit in this regard. He has twice topped the Lions' goalkicking lists, in 1971 with 51 goals, and in 1976 with 35 goals. Murphy’s 52 goals in 1971 was the second highest Fitzroy total (behind Alex Ruscuklic’s 56 in 1970) since the Lions’ last top class full forward Tony Ongarello kicked 53 in 1958.
Murphy also has picked up more than his share of club best and fairest awards, winning the 'club’s major trophy in 1970,1971 and 1973, and sharing it with the great Kevin Murray in 1968. Murphy has never looked like winning a Brownlow Medal, but good judges maintain it is always on the cards because of Murphy's sheer brilliance. But while Medal honors elude him, he is usually one of the first players chosen for a Victorian guernsey. So far he has represented the state in five separate years, winning his first Big White V in 1970 while still aged only 20.
It was obvious soon after Murphy joined Fitzroy that he would one day lead the side. He was one of their few really class footballers in the late 1960s, and he didn’t have to wait long for his big chance to skipper the Lions. Brownlow Medallist Kevin Murray announced his retirement from VFL football at the end of the 1972 season and the captaincy was immediately awarded to Murphy. However, Murray returned from the West to strip again with the Lions, this time under the 23-year-old Murphy. Fitzroy finished eighth that year to give the boy from Heidelberg a fine start to his captaincy.
Murphy crossed to South Melbourne in 1978 in a bid to play in a finals side for the first time.
Footnotes
This is an excerpt from Australian Rules 100 Greatest Players, by Jim Main, published by the K.G. Murray Publishing Company in 1978. Click here to read Jim Main's 2013 article, in which he revisited and revised his 100 greatest players.
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