Robert Murphy:Ray will always be a Bulldog to me

Murphy talks about his mate Farren Ray....

Ray will always be a Bulldog to me
The Age
Bob Murphy | July 23, 2009

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...ds1/Murphy.jpg

"What have I become? My sweetest friend, everyone I know … goes away … in the end."Driving out along St Kilda beach this week I got to thinking about all the players I have played with who have since moved on. That is the reality of life for an AFL player; the bonds you build with people over a short, intense period of time fall apart for one reason or another. Players retire if they're lucky, some have to deal with being delisted, while others are traded to a different team. None of us are immune to this fate and I know that this is just part of life, whatever you choose to do. But, as Johnny Cash so painfully put it in the song Hurt above, these losses do leave a scar.

With those thoughts swishing around in my head, I looked out onto the sand of Melbourne's beaches and noticed the waves, though small, were crashing onto the beach in a rhythm that was both hypnotic and soothing. Having been around for a while now, teammates moving on has become just another part of what the game demands and you become numb to the inevitability of it happening every year. With the waves tumbling in one after the other, I couldn't help but spare a thought for a former Bulldog teammate, Farren Ray, who was traded to the Saints at the end of last year. Despite being 10 years in the system, I've realised that his departure still stings a little bit. It's funny to say it out loud, but I actually still think of Farren as a Bulldog. I try to convince myself that he's still ours and that the Saints just have him on loan.

Farren came to us from country Western Australia. He had the name of a country singer and he had the walk of a cowboy. I liked this about him right from the start. As fate would have it they gave Farren the locker with No. 1 above it, which just happened to be right next to mine. Apart from his name and unique gait, one of the first things I noticed about Farren was that underneath this laconic body language was a toughness that was more about durability than it was of throwing punches. In fact, Farren's first few days at the Bulldogs weren't even at the kennel; his first days as a Western Bulldogs player were spent on the most gruelling of pre-season camps. I look back now and can honestly say that those first three days of the pre-season camp run by Victoria Police Special Operations Group, was far and away the most testing experience of my life, and it was Farren's first day!

I will never forget the way he carried himself during this camp. He didn't know a single person, was a long way from home and was being pushed to his limits, physically and mentally. Many of us were on the verge of tears, while Farren giggled his way through much of it.

Human chemistry is a funny thing and in a football sense there was just something that didn't fit for Farren at the Bulldogs. While we saw glimpses of his best footy, we never saw the consistency that is now on display for the Saints. People ask the reasons for this and usually it is something quite simple, like not training hard enough or playing in the wrong position, but in the case of "Faz" I put it down to this mysterious thing of human chemistry. It just didn't work out at the time. When I see Farren now I see a young man comfortable in his own skin, that is something that comes at different times for different people. His form on the field, I believe, has less to do with where he was or where he is now, but about being happy within himself and football has flowed from there. We're all really pleased for his success at the Bulldogs, despite the fact we will try to stop him and his teammates on Saturday night.

Like the waves on the beach that crashed in one after the other, players will come and go. I'm just pleased that an old locker mate got swept onto another beach and not out to sea like so many others.

Does anyone recongise the guy behind Griffen???

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Originally Posted by T-BONE

Does anyone recongise the guy behind Griffen???

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Daniel Bandy

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Originally Posted by GVGjr

Daniel Bandy

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That's my guess too.

I love Bob's articals however Johnny Cash didn't put those words in hurt Nine Inch Nails did and Cash did a cover version of it.

Murph, this week think of him as your arch enemy.

Good article from Murph... let's hope all that sentimental stuff about Ray finishes in him getting smashed on Saturday! (Most likely not by Murph... maybe Will or Huddo? :)

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Originally Posted by The Coon Dog

That's my guess too.

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Yep. That's DB.

I think the photo is from this game:

Round: 13 Venue: Marrara Oval Date: 18-Jun-2005 7:40 PM Attendance: 13,037
Western Bulldogs 6.3 9.7 15.12 17.14 116
Carlton 2.3 4.4 6.8 10.10 70

It certainly looks like Darwin and all the players in the photo were in the side.

Bandy played the next 3 weeks and then it was all over.

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Originally Posted by GVGjr

Daniel Bandy

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Thanks GVGjr, won't sure.

Hope Bobby or someone else runs straight through him on Saturday night(within the rules of course).....Couldnt stand him as a bulldog, and can't stand him now.

Go Dogs..

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Originally Posted by minson27

Hope Bobby or someone else runs straight through him on Saturday night(within the rules of course).....Couldnt stand him as a bulldog, and can't stand him now.

Go Dogs..

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Wow - tell us what you really think :p