“Justin Murphy is a very, very talented footballer and I think, like Matthew Allan, he was looking for an opportunity to show the football world that he could be a very good footballer. He is one of those maligned players but that didn’t deter us because we have a pretty good record with players who come to our club,” Dodoro said.
“Our club has very good leadership among its players, coaching staff and management and I think that is something that will help Justin get the best out of himself. Coming from Carlton – where they had a pretty ordinary year – the environment there wasn’t what he needed to produce his best football. Here it will be slightly different and he is aware of it.”
Like Matthew Allan, it was Murphy who initiated the move to Essendon – something he wished had happened a couple of years ago.
“He has made the running on this, he identified us as a club he wanted to play for and that is always a bonus,” Dodoro said. “We were looking for an outside type midfielder with experience that could come straight into the side. The other bonus is that Justin Murphy is coming here because he wants to play for Essendon – not play for money. He is basically on base (money) and I think that says a lot about the move - he is here to prove a point.”
One of the key reasons that Essendon was attracted to Murphy was his finishing skills.
“He has got magnificent finishing skills – if he gets the ball 20 times in a game then the forwards are really going to benefit from it. With our midfield structured the way it is at the moment he isn’t going to be asked to play the major roles – he can play on a wing, a half forward flank or even come off the bench,” Dodoro said.
“Our forwards – whether it be Matthew Lloyd, Damian Cupido or Scott Lucas when he plays forward – really should have improved supply because one thing he can do is deliver the ball.”
Dodoro said that Essendon had traded a good player (Cory McGrath) for a good player, a point that he wanted to make to supporters of the Bombers.
“It wasn’t that we traded Cory McGrath because we didn’t think he could play. On the contrary – Sheeds’ felt that at the end of the day Cory deserved an opportunity. He is one of those players who was a bit unlucky here in terms of being the 23rd or 24th player. He now gets the opportunity to play week in, week out,” Dodoro said.
“We are sure that Cory will play a lot of football at Carlton but by the same token we identified the need to inject a quicker-type into our midfield and Justin Murphy is that type of player. At 28-years-of-age you are not in the twilight of your career, particularly when your body is sound. We hope that he can come here and give is three or four seasons.
Dodoro said the club was well aware of the talk in football circles suggesting Murphy could be an unsettling influence.
“Let’s be honest you do hear a bit of this and every time someone makes comment to me, I ask them do you know him personally and what has he done to you. To this day everyone says ‘No, but it is just what I have heard’. I’m not about to hang a person based on that,” Dodoro said.
“He realises this is his last chance and he understands that – it might last one year, it might last five years – that is completely up to him. If he embraces the club, the club will embrace him.
“This whole experience has been interesting because you talk to Justin Murphy and Matthew Allan as outsiders looking in and they see good qualities in this club – it is why they made the decision they did. They say ‘we want to come to Essendon because it is a great club with a winning culture, it has Kevin Sheedy as its senior coach, it has James Hird, Matthew Lloyd, Dustin Fletcher, Sean Wellman and Scott Lucas.’ They rattle of these names and then talk about the history of this club.
“They walk in the door knowing they are not at the top of the tree and they need to earn the respect of this club. That in itself will be of great benefit to these guys.”
