Sean Murphy is a people person.
Joining the Bombers in the newly created role of head of strength and conditioning, his résumé speaks for itself, but there’s nothing he values more than establishing genuine connections.
In an eight-year stint at Hawthorn that included three premierships, Murphy went above and beyond in his role as strength and conditioning coach, training not only players, but administrators as well.
It’s a mark of the legacy he left – one he now hopes to create at Essendon – that his departure was met with the following reaction.
“When I was leaving the walls of Hawthorn today, that was the thing that got reverberated around the place – ‘How are we going to do it (staff fitness program)? How are we going to keep it going?’” Murphy said on Wednesday.
“That was just something I enjoyed doing to keep the connection within the club and have a bit of fun with the people on the admin side of things.
“That’s something that’s important for me – having a one-club mentality and working together, and (ensuring) that there’s no segregation."
Murphy’s people skills – “my biggest growth area”, as he puts it - have stemmed from his wide-ranging journey at Hawthorn.
He’s experienced the workings of a football club at many levels, starting with the Hawks’ development teams in 2012 before progressing to their VFL and AFL programs, which included an apprenticeship under the revered Andrew Russell.
But it’s not just in footy where he’s grown his craft, having also worked with state cricket team Tasmanian Tigers and the Tasmanian Institute of Sport.
While he’ll have to wait until early November to officially commence his next chapter, Murphy will spend the rest of the month in Europe, visiting Queens Park Rangers Football Club and London Irish Rugby Football Club before an intensive leadership course in Munich.
He’ll arrive at The Hangar well-equipped with technical and transferable skills, and can’t wait to get started.
"My career has been progressing over the last couple of years, and these opportunities don’t come up very often. At a club like this, it’s an honour to step into these surrounds and hopefully make an impact.
"I’m genuinely excited. I’ve probably used the word ‘pumped’ with a few people. I’ve loved my time at Hawthorn, but I’m really excited about joining the ranks here and seeing what we can do over the next few years.
“I’ve heard some really good things about the people that are already here. It excites me that we’ve already got good people at this club and that’s important for me.”
