Justin Murphy (Australian rules footballer)

Justin Murphy
Personal information
Full name	Justin Murphy
Date of birth	24 April 1976
Place of birth	Launceston, Tasmania
Original team(s)	De La Salle College
Height/Weight	185cm / 85kg
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1994 – 1995 1996 – 2000 2001 2002 – 2003 2004 – 2005 Total	Richmond Carlton Geelong Carlton Essendon	012 00(9) 079 0(76) 018 00(9) 036 0(29) 040 0(28) 185 (151)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2005 season.
Career highlights
1999 Grand Final team (v Kangaroos)

Justin Murphy (born 24 April 1976) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with four clubs during his AFL career.

Early life

Murphy was raised in Victoria of Indigenous Australian descent. He attended John Gardiner Secondary College and played junior Australian football with the Central Dragons.

AFL career

Murphy is a true journeyman of the AFL, beginning his career at Richmond, before moving to Carlton, then to Geelong, back to Carlton, then to Essendon, a team he said during his days with Carlton, that he despised.

Murphy is a midfielder who is deadly around goals, and possesses a thumping 55-metre-plus kick. He is remembered as the player who was holding the ball in his hands when the final siren sounded in Carlton's upset 1-point win against Essendon in the 1999 Preliminary Final.

Post-AFL career

While Murphy performed strongly when initially arriving at Essendon in 2004, in 2005 he had an indifferent year, and with Murphy considering his options post-football, such as being a camera operator for Fox Footy, it was uncertain whether he would retain his place on Essendon's list in 2006.

Days before the deadline for delisting players, Murphy announced his retirement from AFL football in November 2005. He retired from AFL football at 29 years of age.

In 2006, Murphy joined the Heidelberg Football Club in Melbourne's Diamond Valley Football League (later known as the Northern Football League). He played six seasons with the Tigers, in which time he played more than 100 games and won four Premierships.^[1] In 2012, he played for the Tatura Football Club in the Goulburn Valley Football League, winning a premiership there;^[2] he played for Numurkah in the Murray Football League in early 2013, and returned to Heidelberg in late 2013,^[3] then moved to Knox in the Eastern Football League in 2014.^[4] Murphy has also played summer seasons in the Northern Territory Football League with Waratah.^[5]

References

1. The Northerner: 2011 Division One Grand Final Edition, Northern Football League, 2011, p. 23
2. McGowan, Marc (2 December 2011). "Justin Murphy signs with Tatura". Shepparton News. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
3. "Sports briefs". The Adviser (Shepparton, VIC). Retrieved 1 October 2013.
4. Tim Mitchell (21 February 2014). "Former AFL player Justin Murphy opts for Knox over Epping". Whittlesea Leader. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
5. Grey Morris (15 October 2010). "Gun Tiwi Bombers return". NT News. Retrieved 1 October 2013.

External links

• Justin Murphy's statistics from AFL Tables