2003
By his standards, Murphy had a relatively quiet year in 2003. He played 16 games for Carlton last season and booted 14 goals. Essendon is the fourth AFL club Murphy has called home. He started his career Richmond in 1993 before moving to Carlton in 1995. He was traded to Geelong from Carlton in 2000 and then returned to Carlton in 2001 for the past two seasons.
STRENGTHS
Murphy is a very talented footballer and one of the key reasons that Essendon was attracted to Murphy was his finishing skills. If he gets the ball 20 times in a game then the forwards are really going to benefit from it. Murphy has speed and excellent skills, making him a quality addition to Essendon’s midfield mix and forward structure.
POSITION
With Essendon’s midfield structured the way it is at the moment there are no guarantees that Murphy will be asked to play a major role in the centre – he can play on a wing, a half forward flank or even come off the bench. Murphy has great finishing skills so he could be another handy scoring option for the team.
2004
Essendon Football Club will get the best out of Justin Murphy – that was the promise the 27-year-old made to coach Kevin Sheedy prior to his trade being completed last year. Murphy is a proven talent and has the skills and football ability to make a difference. The opportunity is there for him to make an impact at Essendon - it is up to him how much he wants it.
WHAT SHEEDY SAYS
Justin in a player that we hope will be a good player for us. We lost a really good club man in Cory McGrath, who plays in and around the same position. It will be interesting to see how we go with the two ex-Carlton players – Murphy and Matthew Allan, only time will tell. In Justin’s case he is a very good player and he can win the ball a hell of a lot. He can run a line and kick the ball deep and has excellent finishing skills.
