Michael Murphy (born 8 September 1965) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played with the

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AF ...

Adelaide Football Club The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia that was founded in 1990. The Crows have fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since 199 ...

and the

Brisbane Bears The Brisbane Bears were a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, now known as the Brisbane Lions. Granted a Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL), licence in 1986, ...

in the Victorian/Australian Football League (VFL/AFL). Murphy, a key position player from Renmark, came to North Melbourne after being selected with the ninth pick of the

1987 VFL Draft The 1987 VFL draft was the second draft to provide recruitment opportunities to clubs participating in Australian rules football's elite Victorian Football League. Held after the end of the 1987 season, it consisted only of the national draft i ...

. He played three times in the

1988 VFL season 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United States (National ...

then returned to the club he was recruited from, Glenelg in the

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

. Murphy was a centre half back in the 1990 Grand Final, which Glenelg lost to

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

. His performances during the year saw him make the Adelaide Football Club's squad for their entry into the AFL in 1991. In just his second game, Murphy kicked a bag of six goals against Footscray at

Football Park Football Park, known commercially as AAMI Stadium, was an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, Australia. It was built in 1973 by the South Australian N ...

. He however struggled throughout the season with injuries and discipline, missing a total of seven games through suspension from three visits to the tribunal. In 1992 he again made few appearances, but managed an accurate 23 goals and three behinds. Having been let go by Adelaide, he was picked up by Brisbane with the 81st pick of the

1992 AFL Draft The 1992 AFL draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League. It consisted of the main national draft, the pre-season draft an ...

. His biggest contribution came in the club's record 219 to 57 points win over

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

the Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Gab ...

, where both he and

Roger Merrett Roger Merrett (born 19 April 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in two Victorian Football League premiership sides with the Essendon Football Club in the mid-1980s before moving to the fledgling Brisbane Bears, later capt ...

booted eight goals According to afl.com Murphy was the most accurate scorer the game has seen amongst players with at least 50 scoring shots, with 76.83% of his shots at goal scoring a goal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Michael 1965 births North Melbourne Football Club players Adelaide Football Club players Brisbane Bears players Glenelg Football Club players Australian rules footballers from South Australia Living people