BulldogBelle
03-02-2007, 02:02 AM
This article taken from "The Age" talks about Murphy's return and also the progress of a few others.
*****
Murphy alive and kicking
Martin Boulton
The Age
February 3, 2007
EIGHT months after being carried from the MCG, Western Bulldogs forward Robert Murphy is only days away from completing his return from knee surgery.
If it wasn't for a thick knee brace that he wore at Whitten Oval yesterday, the 24-year-old could have been mistaken for simply trying to sharpen his goalkicking. As teammates worked through a skills session, Murphy ran confidently, peppering the goals from close range, long range and occasionally swinging onto his left boot.
Coach Rodney Eade said Murphy, one of five Bulldogs to injure knees last season, would join full training next week and was well on track to play in the pre-season competition.
"Murph's going well, he runs every second day and he's been doing a lot of agility and power work," Eade said. "The aim is to get him into a couple of NAB Cup games."
After signing a new three-year contract last season, Murphy was in sparkling form, kicking four goals against Melbourne in round two and regularly proving to be a reliable target. But the excitement surrounding him came to a shuddering halt late in May, when his knee buckled under the weight of a tackle from Collingwood's Anthony Rocca at the MCG.
Now, with a new season dawning and memories of that painful night fading, Murphy, Eade and the rest of the club are looking forward and raising the bar above just making the final eight.
Other players returning from injury, including former captain Luke Darcy (knee), Ryan Hargrave (ankle) and Adam Cooney (osteitis pubis), are all expected to play in the NAB Cup.
"Cooney is just about right, he runs every second day and hopefully he'll play the last couple of NAB Cup games as well," Eade said.
After the horror run last season, Eade said Mitch Hahn (knee) was the only player not expected to be available for the round-one match against Geelong on April 1.
As for the rest of the group, nobody is looking forward to the opening clash more than wingman Farren Ray, whose breakthrough season in 2006 included two finals appearances.
The 20-year-old, who was given a rest day yesterday due to his hard work over the summer, relishes being part of a close-knit club on the rise.
"There's a good vibe among the players. We improved last year, made some vast improvement and things are really looking up," Ray said. "Last year was a great experience. Being part of a finals campaign and winning a final was fantastic but we're looking forward to bigger things this year."
Now in his fourth season, Ray has steadily increased his contribution to the team, playing seven games in his debut year, 14 the following year and 21 last season. His 27 touches in last year's elimination final against Collingwood ranked among the Bulldogs' more dominant performances.
The recently retired Rohan Smith (who played his 299th and penultimate match that same day against the Magpies) was at training yesterday to cast an eye over the club's newer recruits.
Ray acknowledged the enormous influence of players such as Smith, new skipper Brad Johnson and midfielder Scott West on his development.
"Being a young bloke like myself, you feed off the experience of the older guys," he said. "And it's great to have a guy like Aka (former Brisbane Lions player Jason Akermanis) here as well, especially with his finals experience and what he brings to the club."
Eade said Ray was among a group of players expected to "take the next step", having "just about grabbed a permanent spot" last year. "He needed to have a big pre-season, which he's done. He hasn't missed a beat," the coach said.
"His attitude has been terrific and hopefully, for our sake and his, he has a good year."
*****
*****
Murphy alive and kicking
Martin Boulton
The Age
February 3, 2007
EIGHT months after being carried from the MCG, Western Bulldogs forward Robert Murphy is only days away from completing his return from knee surgery.
If it wasn't for a thick knee brace that he wore at Whitten Oval yesterday, the 24-year-old could have been mistaken for simply trying to sharpen his goalkicking. As teammates worked through a skills session, Murphy ran confidently, peppering the goals from close range, long range and occasionally swinging onto his left boot.
Coach Rodney Eade said Murphy, one of five Bulldogs to injure knees last season, would join full training next week and was well on track to play in the pre-season competition.
"Murph's going well, he runs every second day and he's been doing a lot of agility and power work," Eade said. "The aim is to get him into a couple of NAB Cup games."
After signing a new three-year contract last season, Murphy was in sparkling form, kicking four goals against Melbourne in round two and regularly proving to be a reliable target. But the excitement surrounding him came to a shuddering halt late in May, when his knee buckled under the weight of a tackle from Collingwood's Anthony Rocca at the MCG.
Now, with a new season dawning and memories of that painful night fading, Murphy, Eade and the rest of the club are looking forward and raising the bar above just making the final eight.
Other players returning from injury, including former captain Luke Darcy (knee), Ryan Hargrave (ankle) and Adam Cooney (osteitis pubis), are all expected to play in the NAB Cup.
"Cooney is just about right, he runs every second day and hopefully he'll play the last couple of NAB Cup games as well," Eade said.
After the horror run last season, Eade said Mitch Hahn (knee) was the only player not expected to be available for the round-one match against Geelong on April 1.
As for the rest of the group, nobody is looking forward to the opening clash more than wingman Farren Ray, whose breakthrough season in 2006 included two finals appearances.
The 20-year-old, who was given a rest day yesterday due to his hard work over the summer, relishes being part of a close-knit club on the rise.
"There's a good vibe among the players. We improved last year, made some vast improvement and things are really looking up," Ray said. "Last year was a great experience. Being part of a finals campaign and winning a final was fantastic but we're looking forward to bigger things this year."
Now in his fourth season, Ray has steadily increased his contribution to the team, playing seven games in his debut year, 14 the following year and 21 last season. His 27 touches in last year's elimination final against Collingwood ranked among the Bulldogs' more dominant performances.
The recently retired Rohan Smith (who played his 299th and penultimate match that same day against the Magpies) was at training yesterday to cast an eye over the club's newer recruits.
Ray acknowledged the enormous influence of players such as Smith, new skipper Brad Johnson and midfielder Scott West on his development.
"Being a young bloke like myself, you feed off the experience of the older guys," he said. "And it's great to have a guy like Aka (former Brisbane Lions player Jason Akermanis) here as well, especially with his finals experience and what he brings to the club."
Eade said Ray was among a group of players expected to "take the next step", having "just about grabbed a permanent spot" last year. "He needed to have a big pre-season, which he's done. He hasn't missed a beat," the coach said.
"His attitude has been terrific and hopefully, for our sake and his, he has a good year."
*****