| Robert Murphy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Murphy playing in March 2017. | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Robert Murphy | ||
| Date of birth | (1982-06-09)9 June 1982 (age 43) | ||
| Original team(s) | Warragul (GFL) Gippsland Power (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 13,1999 national draft | ||
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender /midfielder | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2000–2017 | Western Bulldogs | 312 (183) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2008 | Victoria | 1 (1) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2017. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Robert "Bob"Murphy (born 9 June 1982) is a former professionalAustralian rules footballer who played for theWestern Bulldogs in theAustralian Football League (AFL). He started with the Bulldogs in 2000, and played for them for his entire AFL career, retiring in 2017. He captained the Bulldogs from 2015-2017.[1]
Murphy is the third and youngest child of John and Monica Murphy. Both parents belonged formerly to Catholic orders, John as a priest and Monica as a nun. He has one brother, Ben, and a sister, Bridget.[2]
Murphy was drafted to theWestern Bulldogs with pick 13 in the1999 National Draft. After spending much of the 2000 season developing his slim frame,[3] he made his debut in Round 19 againstCarlton atPrinces Park, gathering 13 disposals and kicking a goal in a thrilling 3-point victory.[4] In 2001 he was nominated for theAFL Rising Star award in round 16 after playingSt Kilda.[5]
In 2005, under new coachRodney Eade, Murphy cemented a place as a smallcentre half forward. He kicked 33 goals from this position and his overheadmarking and leading ability were invaluable to the team. As part of the leadership group he led his younger teammates by great example across thehalf forward line.
On 26 May 2006 Murphy injured his left knee during a horrible collision in the Bulldogs' 34-point loss toCollingwood. This injury caused him to miss the remainder of the 2006 season, including what would have been his first finals series. After successful reconstruction, he returned to action in the2007 NAB Cup series in February 2007. He injured his right knee early in the 2008 season, but played on for the remainder of the season, before undergoing surgery to repair a damagedpatellar tendon in September 2008.[6]
Murphy was back to form resembling his best in 2010, when he posted his second top-five finish in the club best and fairest. He spent more time across half-back, where his disposal and decision-making were up to his usual high standard. In games againstEssendon andFremantle he collected a career-best 28 disposals. He missed three games mid-year with a knee injury which was again aggravated in the preliminary final, requiring post-season surgery.
In 2011 he had one of his best ever seasons, finishing second in the Bulldogs' best and fairest award,[7] and earning his first selection in anAll-Australian team, being named on a half-back flank.[8]
In 2015 he was named captain of the year at the AFLPA awards becoming the fourth player to win the award in his first year as a captain and was also named captain of the all Australian team becoming the first ever player to have collected both honours in the same season.
On 10 April 2016, in the final minutes of the Bulldogs three-point loss toHawthorn, Murphy sustained a knee injury while contesting a mark in the Hawks' forward 50. Scans later revealed he had injured his knee and had sustained a season-ending rupturedanterior cruciate ligament. Murphy later confirmed that he would play on for the Dogs in the 2017 season,[9] and he ultimately missed the club'spremiership win in October of 2016.Easton Wood was named as his replacement as captain. Robert Murphy played the final game of his career in round 23 2017,[10] where he collected 15 disposals and 1 goal in a 9-point loss to Hawthorn.[11]
Since retiring from playing in the AFL, Bob worked at theFremantle Dockers in various leadership roles from 2021-2024,[12] and began hostingABC Radio Melbourne in the Breakfast slot withSharnelle Vella from January 2025[13]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2000 | Western Bulldogs | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.3 | 2.3 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| 2001 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 105 | 60 | 165 | 45 | 16 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 6.6 | 3.8 | 10.3 | 2.8 | 1.0 |
| 2002 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 196 | 94 | 290 | 93 | 27 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 10.3 | 4.9 | 15.3 | 4.9 | 1.4 |
| 2003 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 273 | 101 | 374 | 98 | 31 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 12.4 | 4.6 | 17.0 | 4.5 | 1.4 |
| 2004 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 19 | 16 | 8 | 218 | 69 | 287 | 85 | 40 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 11.5 | 3.6 | 15.1 | 4.5 | 2.1 |
| 2005 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 22 | 33 | 19 | 284 | 77 | 361 | 172 | 26 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 12.9 | 3.5 | 16.4 | 7.8 | 1.2 |
| 2006 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 97 | 22 | 119 | 70 | 11 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 10.8 | 2.4 | 13.2 | 7.8 | 1.2 |
| 2007 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 17 | 19 | 13 | 188 | 45 | 233 | 110 | 23 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 11.1 | 2.6 | 13.7 | 6.5 | 1.4 |
| 2008 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 24 | 34 | 18 | 321 | 108 | 429 | 209 | 42 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 13.4 | 4.5 | 17.9 | 8.7 | 1.8 |
| 2009 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 16 | 10 | 15 | 186 | 85 | 271 | 128 | 20 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 11.6 | 5.3 | 16.9 | 8.0 | 1.3 |
| 2010 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 281 | 122 | 403 | 135 | 22 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 13.4 | 5.8 | 19.2 | 6.4 | 1.0 |
| 2011 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 306 | 128 | 434 | 77 | 36 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 14.6 | 6.1 | 20.7 | 3.7 | 1.7 |
| 2012 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 295 | 125 | 420 | 78 | 33 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 14.0 | 6.0 | 20.0 | 3.7 | 1.6 |
| 2013 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 296 | 122 | 418 | 88 | 43 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 15.6 | 6.4 | 22.0 | 4.6 | 2.3 |
| 2014 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 294 | 158 | 452 | 91 | 39 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 13.4 | 7.2 | 20.5 | 4.1 | 1.8 |
| 2015 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 324 | 147 | 471 | 96 | 32 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 15.4 | 7.0 | 22.4 | 4.6 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 55 | 29 | 84 | 19 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 18.3 | 9.7 | 28.0 | 6.3 | 2.0 |
| 2017 | Western Bulldogs | 2 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 208 | 128 | 336 | 84 | 36 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 12.2 | 7.5 | 19.8 | 4.9 | 2.1 |
| Career | 312 | 183 | 127 | 3940 | 1627 | 5567 | 1682 | 484 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 12.6 | 5.2 | 17.8 | 5.4 | 1.6 | ||
He is married to wife Justine, and has three children – a son, and two daughters.[15]
Murphy features frequently in the media. He writes a weekly column in the sport section ofThe Age newspaper. An article he wrote about playing againstSteve Johnson[16] earned him a highly commended prize in the 2012 Australian Football Media Association awards.[17]
He was formerly a regular panelist on theAFL 360 television talk show onFox Footy. In 2018 in collaboration with Fox Footy he released his own short weekly series called 'Bob,' where he interviewed a number of Australian icons. Murphy formerly hosted the Western Bulldogs' podcast "Freedom in a Cage" along with retired basketball playerChris Anstey, and also co-hosted the Official Bulldogs podcast 'Barkly Street' alongside captain of theWestern Bulldogs,Marcus Bontempelli.[18]
In mid 2019, Murphy joinedAndy Maher to host the late afternoon drive show on1116 SEN radio.[19] In September 2021, it was announced that Murphy would leave his Melbourne based media roles and move to Perth to becomeFremantle Football Club's Head of Football Operations and Performance.[20]
In November 2024, it was announced that Murphy will joinABC Radio Melbourne to host Breakfast with Sharnelle Vella from January 2025.[21] In 2025 he appeared as a contestant on Claire Hooper's House Of Games.[22]
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Coach:Lyon | ||
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Coach:Lyon | ||