How apt that Marc Murphy should lead them out against Collingwood on Friday night.
In making his 172nd senior appearance, the Carlton captain and (by association) John Murphy with 246 games for Fitzroy, South Melbourne and North Melbourne, draw level with the Magpies’ Wayne and Mark Richardson on 418 senior matches (and 13th overall for most games accumulated by father/sons).
John, who often went head-to-head on the paddock with father Wayne, wasn’t immediately aware of the stat when contacted this week, but suggested the Richardsons’ tally should already have been eclipsed.
“It depends on what numbers you get from the AFL,” Murphy suggested. “I remember running through a banner for my 250th game and I’d only played 246. I reckon they took a few games off Keith Greig too and he never got to 300.
“The problem was back in the ’70s when state games were sometimes held on the same day as club games, so the state games were actually counted as club games, but that was later changed.
Asked how many club matches he was “owed”, John replied: “I reckon there were at least four”. “I played ten for Victoria, four of which were staged on the same day as club games,” he said.
John Murphy during his playing days at Fitzroy. (Photo: Supplied)
A further 48 games from Carlton’s Marc will draw the Murphy clan level in 12th position with the Whittens - Ted senior and junior - who amassed 465 senior appearances collectively.
As Leo Murphy (father of John, grandfather of Marc) also represented Hawthorn in 132 games, the clan, with 549 matches is 27 games to the better of the Kennedys - John Kennedy sen. (164) and son John Kennedy jun. (241) at Hawthorn, and grandson Josh Kennedy (117*) at Hawthorn and Sydney.
Footnote: In December 2012, The AFL, in its wisdom, officially declared its Team of the 20th Century half-back Bruce Doull the keeper of Carlton’s consecutive games record of 162, despite the fact that two matches in that block were Victorian state games.
A ruling was first sought from the League the previous July when Kade Simpson’s run of 158 matches for the Blues was abruptly ended at the MCG by way of a vicious shirtfront, which left him with concussion and a broken jaw.
At the time the Editor of the AFL Record Season Guide Michael Lovett was quoted as saying that with the planning for next season’s publication looming, “we’ll take it to football operations to get a determination”.
“There’s more than 20 players affected across the board in terms of state representation,” Lovett said at the time. “They include Footscray’s John Schulz, who played more than 100 consecutive games, eight of which included Victorian games.”
Back then, Lovett did not want to pre-empt the ruling, but appreciated the argument “that if you were good enough to represent your state you obviously would have been good enough to represent your club”.
And so it has come to bear for Doull, the Blues’ four-time premiership player, four-time best and fairest and Norm Smith Medallist, who was unavailable for club games against Melbourne in Round 4, 1976 and Fitzroy in the 13th Round of 1977.
Lovett said that in consultation with League operations, Doull’s consecutive club games record would stand because the aforementioned matches were staged on the same weekend as the respective state fixtures, both involving the Big V and WA at Subiaco Oval.
John Murphy indicated this week that his “lost” games were yet to be returned.
Most games Father/Son
669 matches
CLOKE - David (333) Richmond and Collingwood, and Jason (76) Collingwood, Cameron (58) Collingwood, Carlton and Port Adelaide, and Travis (202*) Collingwood
647 matches
FLETCHER - Ken (264) and Dustin Fletcher (383*)
619 matches
TUCK - Michael (426) Hawthorn, and Shane (173) Richmond and Travis (20) Hawthorn
551 matches
SILVAGNI - Sergio (239) and Stephen (312) Carlton
541 matches
ABLETT - Gary sen. (248) Hawthorn and Geelong, and Gary jun. (259*) and Nathan (34) Geelong and Gold Coast
534 matches
CORNES – Graham (5) North Melbourne, and Chad (255) Port Adelaide and GWS and Kane Cornes (274*) Port Adelaide
523 matches
SHAW - Ray (146) Collingwood, and Rhys (199*) Collingwood and Sydney, and Heath (178*) Collingwood and GWS
518 matches
PANNAM - Charlie H (193) Collingwood and Richmond, and Charlie E (142) Collingwood and South Melbourne and Alby Collingwood and Richmond (183)
496 matches
SCARLETT - John (212) Geelong and South Melbourne, and Matthew (284) Geelong
486 matches
WATSON - Tim (307) and Jobe (179*) Essendon
474 matches
RANKIN - Ted (180) and Bert (132), Cliff (153) and Doug (9) Geelong
465 matches
WHITTEN - Ted snr. (321) and Ted jun. (144) Footscray
418 matches
RICHARDSON - Wayne (277) and Mark (141) Collingwood
417 matches
MURPHY - John (246) Fitzroy, South Melbourne and North Melbourne, and Marc Murphy (171*) Carlton
* still playing
