Another week, another big-name retirement in the AFL. Bob Murphy, the Western Bulldogs captain, has added his name to the lengthy list of players to call time on their careers in recent weeks after confirming he will hang up his boots at the end of the current season.
“[This announcement has] been coming for quite a while,” Murphy said at a press conference on Tuesday. “I’ve lived a childhood dream. That’s become a cliché, but it’s a cliché that’s pretty special to me.
“I came that close to finishing up last year, that this was always going to be my last year. When winter hit this year my body started to let me know that I wouldn’t be able to complete another season.”
The two-time All Australian, at the age of 35, is the oldest player currently plying his trade in the league and with 310 games over 18 seasons under his belt, one of its most experienced. He will play his 311th this weekend when the Bulldogs face Port Adelaide in Ballarat with their finals hopes on the line.
Also considered one the AFL’s most popular figures, Murphy missed out on the Bulldogs’ drought-breaking premiership last year. The talismanic captain had been sidelined through injury for most of the club’s historic season but in a moving and proud moment for the game, coach Luke Beveridge presented Murphy with his own Jock McHale medal on the dais at the conclusion of the grand final.
Murphy decided to play on this year in the hope he could end his career with the fairytale ending that eluded him last season. The Bulldogs sit just outside the top eight, in ninth but level on 44 points with Melbourne and West Coast Eagles with two games to play in the regular season. Saturday’s crunch clash with the Power is followed by a final hitout against Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium the Friday after.
“Bob often talks about family in our environment,” said Beveridge. “When he walks out the door, there will be people who think their son has left. We all look at Bob with love and fondness because what he gives us. At times we get mushy, but it’s because we feel deeply about him. He’ll leave an enormous legacy.”
Jobe Watson, Nick Riewoldt, Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Steve Johnson, Matt Priddis and Scott Thompson have also announced their impending retirements at the end of the season, while Hawthorn’s Josh Gibson became the second player on Tuesday to call it a day.
“I’ve still got a bit of life in me this season and the team still has a few cards to play,” Murphy said. “I’ll finish this year knowing I’ve run the tank completely dry.”
