Justin Murphy

Justin Murphy (born 24 April 1976) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club, the Carlton Football Club (twice), the Geelong Football Club and the Essendon Football Club of the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life Murphy was raised in Victoria, and is of Indigenous Australian descent. He attended John Gardiner Secondary College and played junior Australian football with the Central Dragons (now Sandringham).

AFL playing career Murphy played 185 games in the AFL at four different clubs.

Richmond (1994–1995) Murphy was recruited by Richmond at number 3 in the 1993 National Draft. He made a sensational start to his senior playing career when he kicked five goals for the Tigers in his debut in Round 11, 1994 against Essendon. After he clashed with Richmond senior coach John Northey, and doubts about his discipline began to emerge, Murphy was traded to Carlton at the end of the 1995 season.

Murphy announced his retirement after he was delisted by Essendon after the conclusion of the 2005 AFL season.

Murphy played for Essendon from 2004 until 2005 for a total of 40 games and kicked a total of 28 goals.

In 2012, he played for the Tatura Football Club in the Goulburn Valley Football League, winning a premiership there; he played for Numurkah in the Murray Football League in early 2013, and returned to Heidelberg in late 2013, then moved to Knox in the Eastern Football League in 2014. Murphy has also played summer seasons in the Northern Territory Football League with Waratah.

Criminal convictions In 2008, Murphy was convicted of stealing a woman's purse as it lay unattended on the counter of a Williamstown bank. It was also reported that he failed to pay an ordered $400 donation to a Black Saturday bushfire appeal that was part of his penalty for the theft.

In 2010, Murphy was arrested when police found two bags of crystal methamphetamine in his car. After initially telling police the drugs were his, in court his lawyer claimed he had been claiming to protect his wife. Murphy pleaded guilty to one charge of possession of a drug of dependence and was released without charge on a 12-month good behaviour bond. His lawyer also made an unsuccessful bid to suppress the details of the charge.

In 2017, Murphy was sentenced to 6 months in prison after pleading guilty to 28 charges, including unlawful assault, aggravated burglary and making threats to kill. The charges related to a series of attacks on his former partner, Jill Scott, one of which involved him holding her down and burning her finger with a blowtorch. As a result of her injuries, she had to have her finger amputated. Murphy blamed his actions on his addiction to the drugs meth and GHB.