John Murphy (Australian rules footballer)

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John Murphy (born November 20, 1949) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (now AFL).

Murphy debuted with the Fitzroy Football Club in 1967, and was made captain of the club in 1973. He left the club in 1977 after 214 games and a good career playing across half-forward and in the midfield. This was due to internal disputes with the club over his comments over some players that he thought should have been discarded from the club.

In 1978, he moved to South Melbourne, and played his first ever finals series in 1979. He again changed clubs late in the season, moving to North Melbourne, retiring in 1980 after injuries struck.

[edit] Post-football

Murphy was admitted to the AFL Hall of Fame on 22 June 2006.

His son, Marc Murphy, was the number one draft pick in the 2005 AFL Draft. Marc considered a move to the Brisbane Lions under the father-son rule, as John played for Fitzroy, a club that merged with the Brisbane Bears to form the Lions. However, he was selected by Carlton, who won the wooden spoon in the AFL that season.