Happy in a co-star role
FALL guy, scapegoat, whipping boy: there are a number of terms you could use to describe certain players in the AFL who are the constant source of dissatisfaction among fans. Every club has them. Jack Watts was at Melbourne, Jack Darling had been at West Coast and Jordan Murdoch still is at Geelong.
It is unfair that Murdoch is so often the person who automatically has the finger pointed at him after his team suffers a disappointing loss.
Certainly there are times when, by his admission, his performances have not been up to scratch, but on others he has held his own when his more highly esteemed teammates have faltered.
It is testament to his strength of character though that the 26-year-old has chosen to ignore the external talk, opting instead to focus on feedback from those within the four walls of the club.
Murdoch understands he is a role player, and while he would gladly swap shoes with Joel Selwood or Patrick Dangerfield to get a feeling of what praise from commentators and supporters is like, he is happy toiling away doing what he can to help Geelong win.
“The day that we live in now, everyone has got access to players and everyone has the right to an opinion, but what I would stress is that teams aren’t built on stars alone,” he said.
“Obviously you’ve got stars, but there are players who are also in there to play a role and are in there to try to make the team win.
“That may not look as sexy on a stats sheet but the best teams of the last couple of years have been built by having stars but also those players who are selfless and who want to play their role and want their team to win at all costs.
“Guys like myself, ‘Parso’ (James Parsons), George (Horlin-Smith) have been like that for a number of years now and want to do everything for the team, and if that means we get external criticism then it’s up to us to either let that fire us up and want to be better, or we can get down.
“But at the end of the day what really matters is what is said internally and I know that the roles we play are quite highly valued.
“I have to stress that each game I am trying to get better . . . in an ideal world I’d love to be reviewed as a guy like Patty or Joel and I’m working each day to be that type of player, but I’ve got to utilise the attributes that I have.
“My No.1 focus is having the team win and whether that means me running 100m to put a little bit of pressure on or doing a slight tagging role on a back or a mid that might be hurting us in transition, I just want to do that job for the team so we get the win.”
Tonight Murdoch will play his 100th game for Geelong, six years after making his debut alongside some of the best players the club has produced.
It is those players, such as Matthew Scarlett, Jimmy Bartel and Corey Enright, who made the South Australian understand immediately that having an athletic edge and being a fast runner would not guarantee him a game.
He broke his finger early in 2012 and had to wait to earn his place in the senior side but Murdoch would not have it any other way.
“I got to the club and being surrounded by all the stars that I was, it was going to be an awesome achievement to get a game to start off with,” he said.
“But the nature of the footy club is that you don’t take any game for granted and it’s always a battle to hold your spot. There are doubts in every footballer but I believed my best was good enough.
“I think it was definitely a plus and something that Geelong has been good at for a number of years is rewarding young players who have done their time in the VFL and performed at a consistent standard.
“Back then I desperately wanted to play among the likes of Scarlett and Bartel and Enright and these stars who were there and be successful. Their aura around the club pushed you to want to be better and our stars at the club now are doing that as well, so we’re a successful club for a reason and that is a big part of it.”
Murdoch has been more dependable in recent years since a disappointing 2016 season, which saw him spend large periods of time playing in the VFL.
He said at the start of this year he felt he had put in the best preseason of his career, and despite registering only 17 disposals in the past two matches, believes he is building towards becoming the type of consistent player he wants and needs to be for his team.
“I had a disappointing year a couple of years ago and came into last pre-season wanting to perform consistently and at a high standard,” he said.
“The past two years have definitely been the most consistent as far as effort and that sort of stuff goes, and I feel like I’m there to play a role in the team and just want the team to win, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to do that.”