A Boy Called Bob: Becomes an AFL Footballer

by Bob Murphy, Tony Wilson

This is the story of a boy called Bob. He’s a little scrawny, a little scruffy, and he likes to sniff footballs (weird). But he has the game in his veins and he’s determined to be one of the greats, like his hero from the mighty Tigers, Matthew Richardson.
And he will be! But not without a few misadventures first … His older brother and sister are the worst, he has a major crush on a girl who doesn’t seem to notice him, and his footy oval at school is actually a rectangle and instead of grass, it’s covered in gravel! But that’s not going to stop him.
Follow Bob as he gets drafted to the Western Bulldogs at seventeen, slogs his guts out at training with the big Dogs, and eventually becomes one of the greatest football captains ever.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 2, 2019

About the author

Bob Murphy played for the Western Bulldogs for 17 years and was their captain from 2015 to 2017. In 2015 Murphy was named captain of the year at the AFL Players Association awards and was also captain of the All-Australian team. The following year, the Bulldogs won their first premiership in 62 years. Murphy has written regularly for The Age, and his first book was Murphy’s Lore.

Reviews

[Julie Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of the book.
I think Tony Wilson is on a winner with another book out about an AFL player. This time we come across Bob Murphy from the Western Bulldogs. Even if you’re not a Doggies supporter there is still a lot of respect from Bob.
I found this book to be great fun with a nice simple look at how a young boy with aspirations achieved his goal to play on the big stage. There were lots of LOL moments when reading, plus some tears when reading about the 2016 Grand Final.
I believe that this book is great for any kids who are into footy. It feels aimed at a 6-10 year old market. Tony and Bob have given us a nice clear look at what it means to be an elite footballer and what you sometimes need to do to achieve that. It won’t come easy unless you work at. Great advice for aspiring AFL kids!

[Aryani Siti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely read. Funny and inspired.
A kid's gotta do what a kid's gotta do!

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Although I can honestly say I know nothing about Australian Rules Football it did not stop my enjoyment of the reading of this story. Bob Murphy played for the Western Bulldogs and this is his story of his career, injuries and highlights leading up to the bitter sweet 2016 AFL Grand Final. This is a funny and inspirational story about what it takes to be an elite sports player - the highs, the lows, the obstacles and the dreams. There are some laugh out loud moments in this story, especially regarding the antics of his family and his trip to Ireland. The short chapters have catchy headings to indicate what is coming next, “In which Bob learns not to sit at the front in team meetings after disappointing losses ...” and “In which the Murphys try their luck with cats …”. It will appeal to those readers who enjoy biography and memoir and also to those who like to read about sporting personalities and humorous family anecdotes.

[Ian Laird · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good book for kids of all ages, especially sporty sub-teens, but non-sporty sub teens might enjoy reading about growing up in country Victoria, Australia.

The book covers much the same ground as Murphy’s excellent autobiography for grownups, Leather Soul: A Half-Back Flanker's Rhythm and Blues, but made accessible to a young reader without dumbing it down or making it too bland. Murphy wrote Leather Soul all by himself. This time he has collaborated with children’s author Tony Wilson. Co-incidentally, Wilson’s children and Murphy’s kids attend the same primary school.

The story is laden with Murphy’s sardonic humour and whimsy. He knows how to tell an interesting tale, capturing the spirit of childhood. And he is helped by the richness of his material, for example, his mother was a nun and his father a priest. Murphy captures the critical moment when this future parents met:

‘Dad hadn’t been a priest very long when he agreed to drive a carload of nuns down to the beach one Saturday afternoon. His eyes widened when mum came out of the convent door, wearing her most beachy nun’s clothes, casually swinging her handbag on her index finger.’ (p2)

‘Swinging her handbag on her index finger’ is the nice touch.

He fondly recalls an active childhood of sock footy, playing AFL in the school ground and meeting Justine, his future wife, at the swimming pool. She barely noticed him, albeit politely. A big event was journeying from distant Gippsland to watch his beloved tigers (Richmond) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

He didn’t get to play for Richmond, but was drafted by the Western Bulldogs; going on to play 300 games for the club despite two serious knee injuries which kept him out of the game for a year each time. It the second knee injury, a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, which has assumed mythic status. Captain of the club with the team going well, Murphy watches from the sideline as his teammates defeat the Sydney Swans in 2016 to win their first premiership in 62 years.

The poignancy of that moment and the time leading up to it is played out at length in a way that is accessible both to young readers and older ones. It is a terrific book and highly recommended, perhaps even if AFL is new or even unfamiliar.

[Mella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable. But I don't necessarily think this is a great read. The narrative is very disjointed and somewhat random. I'm not the target audience so perhaps it'll be more popular with them - but it made it feel clunky and like a pasted together scrapbook - particularly as there were a lot of asides and random facts and thoughts. Some were funny. The story about the dead cat, half stuck in the ground was hysterical. And I very much enjoyed;

RIP Shaka. And RIP Paddy too, who lasted longer than Shaka, but died when Dad accidentally ran over him in the driveway.
There's a saying that cats have nine lives. That wasn't really the Murphy experience.
But the other saying is: there's more than one way to skin a cat.
That one we can relate to.

Some were encouraging. A lot were full of gratitude for getting the chance to achieve his dream. The second half was more cohesive - but it felt more like a whole other book than the same narrative. I enjoyed hearing about his life and anecdotes and I was riveted to hear his feelings about the 2016 Grand Final.

I did enjoy it and I'd say a large part of my enjoyment came from the fact that I'm a doggies supporter and I love Bob. That year holds my own special memories - my footy team won their first grand final in 62 years, I got married, I became an auntie to my adorable niece - 2016 was a great year. I was devastated on Bob's behalf at not getting to play and Luke Beveridge was my hero for publicly acknowledging his career and input.

Definitely worth a read if you're a Bob Murphy fan or a die hard doggies supporter. Overall 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My bias as a Bulldogs fan adds to my delight in this book. Bob’s story for a junior audience is fantastic. I laughed out loud, nodded my head in agreement and totally felt Bob’s bittersweet moments leading up to and after our Premiership win. A book for all AFL fans.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific book about Bob Murphy’s life and football career. Beautifully told, with lots of great messages for aspiring young footballers.

[Rhyllis Bignell · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A Boy called Bob Becomes an AFL Footballer’ is a laugh-out loud, footy-filled novel that reveals the highs and lows, hard work and dedication need to be an elite footballer. Bob shares openly and honestly about his family, his mum was a nun and his dad a priest. They fell in love, were married, became teachers and raised three children including Robbie the youngest. Sock footy, tree climbing and visiting his many cousins made his childhood fun. The school oval was a rectangle and covered in gravel, the team sure was tough!
Each chapter heading gives a fun explanation of what’s to come. In chapter 5 Bob meets his future partner Justine Quigley at the high school swimming carnival. Bob dreamed of being an AFL player, he trained hard, loved the smell of new Sherrin footballs and had his family support. Two dozen relatives and friends watched the AFL draft pick when eighteen-year-old Bob was chosen for the Western Bulldogs team.
His first year was one of highs and lows, free gear, his photo on footy cards, pain from the hard training, overcoming shyness and feeling judged were difficult. Bob shares from the heart, the elation of scoring goal in the final seconds and the tough times when the coach is challenging them to do better, spraying Bob in the front row with spit. There are triumphs and tragedies when Bob injures his knee twice, tons of footy tips and plenty of on field action.
Tony Wilson author of the ‘The Selwood Boys’ and Bob Murphy have co-authored a rousing junior novel, written in an easy to read, fun style just right for sports and AFL fans. Phillip Marsden’s cartoons add humour as well, Bob’s knee is totally twisted around on the stretcher! Share ‘A Boy called Bob Becomes an AFL Footballer’ with a middle primary class and they’ll love the asides, the family support and learn about the hard work and dedication needed to be at the top of any sport.