Justin Murphy (Australian rules footballer) facts for kids

Justin Murphy, born on April 24, 1976, is a former Australian rules football player. He played for several teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), including the Richmond Football Club, the Carlton Football Club (twice!), the Geelong Football Club, and the Essendon Football Club.

Early Life and Junior Football

Justin Murphy grew up in Victoria, Australia. He is of Indigenous Australian descent. He went to John Gardiner Secondary College. As a young player, he played junior Australian football for the Central Dragons team.

Justin Murphy's AFL Journey

Justin Murphy is known as a "journeyman" in the AFL. This means he played for many different teams during his career. He played a total of 185 games across four different clubs.

Playing for Richmond (1994–1995)

The Richmond Tigers picked Justin Murphy as their third choice in the 1993 National Draft. He had an amazing start to his senior career. In his very first game for Richmond, in Round 11 of 1994, he kicked five goals against Essendon. After some disagreements with Richmond's coach, John Northey, Murphy was traded. He moved to the Carlton Blues at the end of the 1995 season. During his time at Richmond, from 1994 to 1995, he played 12 games and kicked 9 goals.

First Time at Carlton (1996–2000)

Justin Murphy joined the Carlton Blues after being traded from Richmond in 1995. He wore guernsey number 18 for Carlton. His first game for Carlton was in the opening round of 1996 against Collingwood. He played well, getting 19 possessions and kicking his first goal for the Blues. He also played in the finals for the first time that year.

Fans remember him for holding the ball when the final siren sounded in a very close game. Carlton won by just one point against Essendon in the 1999 Preliminary Final. At the end of the 2000 season, Murphy had some disagreements with Carlton's coach, Wayne Brittain. Because of this, he was traded to the Geelong Cats. He played 79 games for Carlton from 1996 to 2000, kicking a total of 76 goals.

Time with Geelong (2001)

After leaving Carlton, Justin Murphy played for the Geelong Cats. He spent only one season with Geelong, in 2001. During that year, he played 18 games and kicked 9 goals for the team.

Return to Carlton (2002–2003)

Justin Murphy was traded back to the Carlton Blues at the end of the 2001 season. It seemed he and coach Wayne Brittain had sorted out their earlier disagreements. However, the 2002 season was very tough for Carlton. The team struggled a lot, and Brittain was no longer the coach at the end of the season. Even though Murphy played well, with good statistics, the team faced many challenges.

In 2003, Carlton continued to have difficulties. Murphy found this time hard. He then had a disagreement with Carlton's new coach, Denis Pagan. Because of this, he asked to be traded to the Essendon Bombers at the end of the 2003 season. In his second time playing for Carlton, from 2002 to 2003, he played 36 games and kicked 29 goals.

Playing for Essendon (2004–2005)

Justin Murphy joined the Essendon Bombers after being traded at the end of the 2003 season. He was part of a famous game in 2004 called the "Line in the Sand" game. He was the only Essendon player who received a suspension after that match. After the 2005 AFL season ended, Essendon decided not to keep him on their team. Justin Murphy then announced that he was retiring from AFL football. He played 40 games for Essendon from 2004 to 2005, kicking 28 goals.

Life After AFL Football

After retiring from the AFL, Justin Murphy continued to play football at a local level. In 2006, he joined the Heidelberg Football Club in Melbourne. This club is part of the Diamond Valley Football League. He played more than 100 games for Heidelberg over six seasons. During this time, he helped the team win four championships.

In 2012, he played for the Tatura Football Club and won another championship there. He also played for Numurkah in 2013 and returned to Heidelberg later that year. In 2014, he moved to play for Knox in the Eastern Football League. Justin Murphy also played during the summer seasons in the Northern Territory Football League with the Waratah team.