Justin Murphy (Australian rules footballer)

Early life

Murphy was raised in Victoria of Indigenous Australian descent. He attended John Gardiner Secondary College and played junior Australian football with the Central Dragons.

AFL career

Murphy is a true journeyman of the AFL, beginning his career at Richmond, before moving to Carlton, then to Geelong, back to Carlton, then to Essendon, a team he said during his days with Carlton, that he despised.

Murphy is a midfielder who is deadly around goals, and possesses a thumping 55-metre-plus kick. He is remembered as the player who was holding the ball in his hands when the final siren sounded in Carlton's upset 1-point win against Essendon in the 1999 Preliminary Final.

Post-AFL career

While Murphy performed strongly when initially arriving at Essendon in 2004, in 2005 he had an indifferent year, and with Murphy considering his options post-football, such as being a camera operator for Fox Footy, it was uncertain whether he would retain his place on Essendon's list in 2006.

Days before the deadline for delisting players, Murphy announced his retirement from AFL football in November 2005. He retired from AFL football at 29 years of age.

In 2006, Murphy joined the Heidelberg Football Club in Melbourne's Diamond Valley Football League (later known as the Northern Football League). He played six seasons with the Tigers, in which time he played more than 100 games and won four Premierships. In 2012, he played for the Tatura Football Club in the Goulburn Valley Football League, winning a premiership there; he played for Numurkah in the Murray Football League in early 2013, and returned to Heidelberg in late 2013, then moved to Knox in the Eastern Football League in 2014. Murphy has also played summer seasons in the Northern Territory Football League with Waratah.

Criminal History

ON January 8, 2010, the Herald Sun reported as follows:

FORMER AFL star Justin Murphy failed to donate cash to the Black Saturday bushfire appeal as part of a court penalty for theft. Murphy, who made his name at Essendon and Carlton, was arrested for stealing a purse from the counter of a Williamstown bank while waiting to make a transaction in 2008.

Last year he was ordered by a magistrate to pay $400 into the bushfire appeal, but Heidelberg Magistrates' Court was told yesterday that Murphy, 33, had not made the payment.

Outside court, an aggressive Murphy threatened a Herald Sun photographer, saying several times he would "punch his face in" and "smash his camera".[6]#cite_note-6

On October 28, 2010 News.com.au reported as follows:

FORMER AFL player Justin Murphy has blamed his wife after he was caught by police carrying drugs. He pleaded guilty in Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday to possessing crystal methamphetamine after he was caught with two small bags in his car on August 16. Murphy initially told police the drugs were his. But yesterday his lawyer, Paul Pitsaras, claimed Murphy had been lying to protect his wife. [7]#cite_note-7

On May 18, 2017 the Herald SUn reported as follows:

FORMER AFL star Justin Murphy has been sentenced to six months in jail for a series of “evil” attacks on his ex-girlfriend, including maiming her with a blow torch. Murphy pleaded guilty to 28 charges in the Heidelberg Magistrate’s Court today in what the magistrate called a “campaign of terror” against his former partner Jill Scott. The former football player repeatedly stalked, robbed and threatened to kill Ms Scott, Seven News has reported. The court heard Murphy attacked Ms Scott with a blow torch in November last year causing her to lose her middle finger as a result of the burns.

The court was told Murphy had previously issues with the drug ice and GHB after retiring from his football career and had recently completed a 30-day drug rehabilitation program. In sentencing Magistrate John O’Callaghan told Murphy his treatment of Ms Scott was “just appalling and unacceptable”. ##cite ref-8