Murray’s mentally done
Veteran all-rounder plays his last game after prolific career
FORMER St Albans-Breakwater coach Jason Murray has revealed today’s final homeand-away game of the season against Guild-Saints will be his last.
The veteran all-rounder told the Geelong Advertiser he was “mentally done” and unable to continue a career that has spanned beyond 15 years at Alexander Thomson, Newcomb, Meredith and the Supersaints.
He retires with nearly 5600 runs and 335 wickets.
Murray believes the mental and physical toll is too great, with niggling hamstring injuries limiting him to just eight matches this season.
He was nearly done last year after a tumultuous 2016-17 season in which the Supersaints suffered a dramatic fall from grace.
After winning the 2015-16 GCA2 premiership, the club was hit by a mass exodus of players and won just one match last season, suffering relegation to the newly created GCA3 as a result.
The season left the thencoach sure his career was done.
But a close relationship with current captain-coach Sean Bogan changed his mind.
“Everybody knows where we were when everyone walked out on the club. Sean Bogan and Aaron Rethus stuck by us and then they took over the coaching position,” he said.
“They spoke to me about playing under them and I thought I owed it to them, because they’d stuck by me. It was a very hard decision, but I stuck by them.”
Murray said he was going to retire with immediate effect after doing his hamstring for a second time this season in the Round 5 clash against Alexander Thomson.
But he again cited the influence of the two new coaches at St Albans Reserve for getting him back in the fold.
“I felt like giving it away midway through the year, but I’m really happy I’ve been able to get the body right and finish strong,” Murray said.
“I was actually going to pull the pin, but the coaches were good to me last year by playing me after we’d lost a lot of players at the club, so I thought it would be the wrong thing to just walk away on them.
“They supported me and the body happened to get right, so I wanted to repay them.”
The coaches’ faith has been rewarded, with Murray claiming nine wickets in his past three outings, and also hitting 103 against top side Thomson in a closely fought run chase last round.
While the Supersaints cannot make finals, Murray is upbeat for the future.
“I think the division three demotion has helped the club — and from where I thought we’d be we’re definitely on the right track,” he said.