Selecting a captain can be a tough job. Selecting the right captain is vital. Selecting Bob Murphy as captain of the Bulldogs is the right call, it’s just 12 months late.
Coach Brendan McCartney announced Ryan Griffen as the Doggies skipper ahead of the 2014 AFL season.
“We see Ryan as the right person to help take this club forward and we look forward to seeing him continue to grow as a leader, player and person,” McCartney said at the time.
Unfortunately for McCartney (and long suffering ‘Scrays fans), history will show he was wrong.
Griffen was and is a star. An All-Australian, a two time best-and-fairest winner, an elite onballer. But he’s not a captain. Just ask him or his manager.
Upon announcing that he wanted out of Footscray, it was revealed that Griffen was a reluctant captain.
“It was a hard thing for him, and it was a major adjustment to take place,” his manager Nigel Carmody said.
“He’s a leader, but he’s not a leader in the true sense of what we think perhaps an AFL captain to be these days – they’re a mouthpiece, they’re a spokesperson.”
In short, Griffen prefers anonymity. He loves footy, but he doesn’t love the attention that comes with it. He would rather be hunting or fishing than doing pressers. He’s not comfortable in the spotlight, particularly as the spokesperson.
The same can’t be said of his replacement.
Bob Murphy is also a gun player. He is also a ‘heart and soul’ type of bloke that teammates and opponents like, admire and respect. He is a genuine leader of men and he genuinely loves his Western Bulldogs.
In short, he is a no nonsense, no frills sort of a bloke. An intelligent, well spoken man who has been described as a “natural fit” for the role. Those who have read his columns will know that he is a thinker. Those who have watched him play will know that he can fill a variety of roles, all over the ground, and that he gives his all for the red, white and blue.
The Bulldogs could’ve gone for a young, emerging leader and installed Murphy as a vice captain to assist them – but that would’ve been the wrong choice and wouldn’t have given Murphy the due credit he deserves and has earned.
The youngsters can still learn from ‘the man formerly known as Robert’, but after nearly 300 games, Murph has earned the right to lead the club. His club.
“I’m chuffed to have been nominated and installed as captain of a club that has played such a major part of my life over the past 15 years,” he said in a club statement.
An All-Australian himself, Murphy is coming off yet another top-four finish in his club’s best-and-fairest and didn’t miss a game in 2014. He’s the old cliché of fine wine getting better with age.
But as we know, being a gun player doesn’t make you a good leader.
They say that there are three key ‘Cs’ to being a good captain: caring, courageous and consistent. Murphy embodies these.
He is caring by nature and appears willing to put the greater good of the team above his own individual goals. He leads by example and has got the absolute most out of his career, he has had the courage to walk the talk and compete to the best of his ability at all times, even during some lean years for the Doggies. He could’ve left the club for greater financial reward and possibly greater success, but chose to stay loyal.
They say that if you embody the three Cs of captaincy that you’ll achieve the fourth – credibility. Bob Murphy has that in buckets and is the right man for the job.
It might be an appointment that was made 12 months too late (especially if you’re Brendan McCartney), but it’s the right one. And as they also say, it’s better late than never.
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