Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Laurence Murphy

Known as
Laurie Murphy

Born
10 September 1899

Died
20 July 1980 (aged 80)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 21y 274d
Last game: 29y 250d

Height and weight
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 83 kg

Senior clubs
Collingwood; North Melbourne

Jumper numbers
Collingwood: 16, 15, 18, 14, 17
North Melbourne: 27

Recruited from
Collingwood (1928)

Laurie Murphy

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
CollingwoodV/AFL1921-192678140.1858%0
North MelbourneV/AFL1928-19291530.2033%1
V/AFL1921-1926, 1928-192993170.1854%1
Total1921-1926, 1928-192993170.1854%1

AFL: 2,649th player to appear, 2,608th most games played, 3,987th most goals kickedCollingwood: 252nd player to appear, 244th most games played, 378th most goals kickedNorth Melbourne: 67th player to appear, 509th most games played, 536th most goals kicked

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

Sources

Full Points Publications

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.