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Great article to celebrate one of our best current players.
A clan of true believe
Bob Murphy's parents met when John was a Catholic priest and Monica a nun. They left the order to be together, had Ben, Bridget and then little Robbie. On the eve of his 200th game, they talk to Peter Hanlon about storytelling, crushing disappointment, and keeping the faith - in football and life.
JOHN: I vividly remember his first game. He was eight, and there was a lightning premiership out at Buln Buln. Monica and I were wondering, 'He mightn't take to this …' Ben was already playing footy, he was four or five years older. For the first two or three minutes he just wandered around, didn't look completely at home, then the ball bounced loose and he went, whoosh! He swooped on it and kicked it onto a guy's chest. And I thought, 'He's got it. He's got the gift.'
MONICA: He was a gorgeous kid. He was number three, what else could he be? Robbie didn't like conflict - he would never tell you that anything was worrying him. He was one of those little fellows who would work around it. Ben and Bridget were in secondary school, and he was going to primary school. I said to him one day, 'Today you'll have to come home when there's no one at home', because we weren't going to get home before him. He said, 'Well, it depends how you look at it, Mum. I could be the latch-door kid, who's neglected, or I could be the kid who's taking responsibility and who's been given some freedom. And that's the way I see it.' He was saying that to accommodate me, to make me feel better. He always looked for the best option, the most positive for everyone. I think he thought I had to be looked after, and he still does that.
JOHN: I never heard him articulate that he wanted to be a footballer.
MONICA: He plays his cards close to his chest, even as a little boy. He loved everything, every kid and every person.
JOHN: He was never one of those driven, 'I'm going to be a footballer' kids. He talked more about playing basketball and cricket.
MONICA: I just remember him talking about having a comfortable life, good fun. Ben was strong, wanted to learn and go ahead and break barriers. Bridget was a real leader later in school, before that she was easy-going but still more driven than Robbie.
JOHN: You wouldn't have heard him say, 'I'm bored'. There was nothing to be bored about, always plenty of friends, plenty of things to do. But if you were going to talk about them going on to be professional sportspeople, Rob wouldn't have been the first or the second that you'd think of. But I wonder if he was disguising some real ambition or desire.
MONICA: I like his columns. I'm a bit surprised by his grasp of structure, but I'm not surprised at his Irish storytelling. He always had that wistful, dreamy way, he's poetic. He always had a different life view from most people. Mary Mutsaers (Rob's secondary school English teacher) said she knew he had it, but he wouldn't put it on paper. But I don't think school was the right forum for him. He said he learnt more from sitting around our table listening to our adult friends than he did from sitting in a classroom.
Keep reading Here
A clan of true believe
Bob Murphy's parents met when John was a Catholic priest and Monica a nun. They left the order to be together, had Ben, Bridget and then little Robbie. On the eve of his 200th game, they talk to Peter Hanlon about storytelling, crushing disappointment, and keeping the faith - in football and life.
JOHN: I vividly remember his first game. He was eight, and there was a lightning premiership out at Buln Buln. Monica and I were wondering, 'He mightn't take to this …' Ben was already playing footy, he was four or five years older. For the first two or three minutes he just wandered around, didn't look completely at home, then the ball bounced loose and he went, whoosh! He swooped on it and kicked it onto a guy's chest. And I thought, 'He's got it. He's got the gift.'
MONICA: He was a gorgeous kid. He was number three, what else could he be? Robbie didn't like conflict - he would never tell you that anything was worrying him. He was one of those little fellows who would work around it. Ben and Bridget were in secondary school, and he was going to primary school. I said to him one day, 'Today you'll have to come home when there's no one at home', because we weren't going to get home before him. He said, 'Well, it depends how you look at it, Mum. I could be the latch-door kid, who's neglected, or I could be the kid who's taking responsibility and who's been given some freedom. And that's the way I see it.' He was saying that to accommodate me, to make me feel better. He always looked for the best option, the most positive for everyone. I think he thought I had to be looked after, and he still does that.
JOHN: I never heard him articulate that he wanted to be a footballer.
MONICA: He plays his cards close to his chest, even as a little boy. He loved everything, every kid and every person.
JOHN: He was never one of those driven, 'I'm going to be a footballer' kids. He talked more about playing basketball and cricket.
MONICA: I just remember him talking about having a comfortable life, good fun. Ben was strong, wanted to learn and go ahead and break barriers. Bridget was a real leader later in school, before that she was easy-going but still more driven than Robbie.
JOHN: You wouldn't have heard him say, 'I'm bored'. There was nothing to be bored about, always plenty of friends, plenty of things to do. But if you were going to talk about them going on to be professional sportspeople, Rob wouldn't have been the first or the second that you'd think of. But I wonder if he was disguising some real ambition or desire.
MONICA: I like his columns. I'm a bit surprised by his grasp of structure, but I'm not surprised at his Irish storytelling. He always had that wistful, dreamy way, he's poetic. He always had a different life view from most people. Mary Mutsaers (Rob's secondary school English teacher) said she knew he had it, but he wouldn't put it on paper. But I don't think school was the right forum for him. He said he learnt more from sitting around our table listening to our adult friends than he did from sitting in a classroom.
Keep reading Here
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