Injury sees end of top TRL career
WHETHER you cheered him or jeered him, the serious knee injury to Souths star Nathan Murphy is deflating news heading into Sunday’s TRL preliminary final.
Murphy dislocated his left patella and ruptured his anterior cruciate and lateral ligaments after crashing into the goal post at Clive Berghofer Stadium while scoring a try in last Sunday’s 34-24 major semi-final loss to Gatton in what has ended the season of the influential Tigers five-eighth.
Worse still, at 32 years old, Murphy thinks scoring that try in the 10th minute of the major semi-final could be his last on-field involvement in rugby league.
After consulting a specialist during the week and learning he needs a knee reconstruction, Murphy told The Chronicle that would be the end of his playing career.
“That will be retirement. That’s it,” he said in the lead-up to Souths taking on Valleys this Sunday in the preliminary final. “At my age, I’ve got young kids and work to deal with.
“I’m fairly disappointed. It’s a bit shattering.
“I thought we were on the verge of something special, and now I’ll miss out on it.”
Murphy is arguably the best player to have competed in the TRL over the past decade. He won five-straight premierships with Valleys on their record run of six titles and was a regular in representative squads and S&K Drilling Team of the Year line-ups.
In 2011, he tried his hand at rugby union and won the Risdon Cup with USQ.
Murphy linked with Souths in 2012 and was a big part of the Tigers’ run to the grand final, which they lost to Brothers, and was a key in guiding the club to this year’s minor premiership.
Souths also won the Madsen-Rasmussen Trophy final over the past two years, with Murphy taking out the Bill and Steve Pollard Family Medal for best on ground in both of those matches.
Tigers coach Russell Bailey, who also coached Murphy at Valleys in 2009, says his absence is a big blow to Souths’ premiership chances this year, but paid tribute to the gun playmaker’s TRL career.
“It’s a major hole. He’s the best footballer that’s been in the comp the last 10 years,” Bailey said. “It’s akin to Andrew Johns not playing for Newcastle.
“People should respect a champion, and he’s been a champion of the TRL.”
Murphy could still be a part of the TRL next season though as he is investigating a coaching opportunity.