In Jim Main's series, 'Swan Songs', this week he talks to former Swans Hall of Fame wingman David Murphy...

David Murphy
Born: August 23, 1962
Played: 1984-93
Games: 156
Goals: 92

When the National Bank transferred a young clerk from the NSW town of Finley to Wagga in the early ‘80s, it inadvertently handed the Sydney Swans a champion wingman.

Finley was deep in Geelong’s country zone, but David Murphy’s transfer to Wagga put him in the Swans’ zone and he made his debut in the red and white in 1984.

Although Murphy grew up a Bulldogs’ supporter, he just wanted to play at the top level and relished the chance to prove himself with the Swans before developing into one of the best wingers the club has produced.

In fact, Murphy was named on a wing in the club’s Team of the Century and last April was inducted into the Swans’ Hall of Fame.

“These are absolutely fantastic honours,” Murphy said. “I just could not separate them in terms of which is the better honour and I am just so proud that my name was even put forward for them.

“My naming in the Team of the Century was a fantastic thrill because I know the club has had so many wonderful wingers over the years and being inducted into the Hall of Fame is wonderful recognition.”

Murphy had every attribute of a champion winger - pace, sublime skill, a non-stop engine and bucketloads of courage.

With Greg Williams in the centre and Merv Neagle on the other wing in the mid-1980s, it is doubtful if the Swans ever had a better centreline.

All represented Victoria, with Murphy wearing the Big White Vee six times, as well as wearing NSW’s two blues three times.

“We had a terrific team over the 1986-87 seasons,” Murphy recalled. “It’s just a pity we could not win a premiership over those seasons as we certainly had the players for flag success.

“When I look back on those seasons I cannot help but think of what might have been if we had played some of our finals matches under the system that operates now.

“Although we finished second on the ladder in 1986 and third the following year, we had to play all our finals match in Melbourne. It would have been terrific if we had played one or two finals in Sydney like happens now.

“I have no doubt we would have made at least one Grand Final if, for example, we had played our 1986 qualifying final against Carlton at the SCG instead of the MCG. After all, we went down by just 16 points.”

Murphy, surprisingly, spent most of his football career while holding down a job with the National Bank and then St George before eventually telling the club he was having trouble getting to training on time.

He found employment with Swan supporter Kevin Morley in the packaging industry and now co-owns a highly-successful wine label print company.

Murphy, at 31 years of age in 1993, realised his time with the Swans was up and he recalled: “When you rely on pace to get you out of trouble, you soon realise that losing half a yard means it is time to give it away.

“I had a chat with coach Ron Barassi and when he told me he wanted to pursue a youth policy, I knew the time was right to retire.”

Murphy joined local club Campbelltown as captain-coach and took it from bottom to two premierships in his only two seasons with the club.

He then covered football on the ABC with radio legends Peter Booth and Tim Lane while keeping a close eye on the Swans and later helping Stevie Wright and Rod Carter with the NSW/ACT Rams, developing youngsters of the calibre of Jarrad McVeigh, Lenny Hayes, Nick Davis, Craig Bolton and Ray Hall.

Murphy created a ruckus after the Swans’ 2005 preliminary final win over St Kilda as he was standing on a change-room bench conducting fans in a chorus of “Cheer, Cheer the Red and the White” when told to “quieten it down” to allow the players to concentrate on the forthcoming Grand Final.

“And winning that Grand Final would have melted any heart,” Murphy declared. “I was there with my son Kane and was a very, very proud Swan.”

Murphy’s only current involvement with the Swans is watching 19-year-old Kane playing in the Swan reserves as a top-up player from Sydney University.