Bob Murphy reflects on his first experiences as an AFL player in this excerpt from his new book, Leather Soul.
The first three games of my AFL career would be the envy of most footballers. In that first one, we were rank underdogs and beat Carlton by three points. The next week we beat Collingwood by nine points at the Docklands, and I managed to keep my spot despite not touching the ball. In game number three, we were to play Essendon on Friday night. Match of the round against the unbeaten Bombers. They’d won 20 games in a row. It was unheard of.
In the buildup that week, our coach, Terry ‘Plough’ Wallace, came up with an extreme game plan. Internally, it was dubbed ‘the super flood’. It was the kind of tactic that needed a charismatic front man, and Plough could certainly charm a group if he was in the mood. We would play 14 players in the back half of the ground, where there’s usually six. This kind of thing was radical. It’s just as radical now as it was then. I knew this was going to cause a big fuss, whatever the result. I went to school that Friday tingling. I had a big secret in my pocket.
Footscray City College was a wild mix of kids from all origins and ethnic backgrounds. It wasn’t a footymad school like the one I was used to in Warragul, but there was still a bunch of kids at Footscray who were into it and wanted to know all about that night’s big game. I kept the super flood to myself.
That night, the Bulldogs got up by 11 points, ending Essendon’s historic winning streak. Dramatically, Chris Grant kicked a left foot snap from the boundary to put us in front in the dying minutes. There was a big brawl at halftime. This game had it all. The super flood was the talk of the town. It remains one of the most unusual games of football ever played. I barely rate a mention in it, although I did touch the ball.
I was dropped the week after, but to be honest I didn’t really care. I was now officially an AFL player. My name was in the book, just down the alphabetical line from Mick Gargan. There it was in black and white. ‘Robert Murphy. Western Bulldogs. 3 games.’ And by now I had my licence and a car. A white Holden Barina with an alpine sticker down the side door. Form an orderly queue, ladies.
Published by Black Inc Books, Leather Soul is also available via the Bulldogs’ online shop now.
