Robert Murphy takes up the head of football operations role at Fremantle.
"Everyone's got a catch phrase of their own leadership philosophy but mine is to help whenever you can, there's a moment to jump in and get your hands dirty and there's another time to lead from within," Murphy said.
"I'm just really grateful to be given the chance to be welcomed into this proud football club."
Luke Dahlhaus says he's patched things up with Robert Murphy after the former Bulldogs skipper questioned Dahlhaus' commitment, to which he responded sarcastically via social media.
"The emotions just got to me and I'm disappointed with how I acted," Dahlhaus said.
"I contacted Bob and we've sorted it out and showed our love to each other. It's all sorted, nothing but love for him and for the club."
Luke Dahlhaus hits back former teammate Bob Murphy over the suggestion that he lost "dedication" after the Dogs' 2016 premiership.
"I think Luke would put his hand up to say that he maybe wasn't as dedicated or hungry as he'd been the years before," Murphy said on SEN radio in early September.
Dahlhaus made reference to Murphy's comments via a video he posted on Instagram while on holiday in Europe.
"How unmotivating is this? I feel so unmotivated," Dahlhaus said sarcastically while filming from a beach.
"I swear when I woke up after 2016 I was just so unmotivated. F***ing hell, I wish I was listening to SEN."
Lewis Young will wear retired Bulldog great Bob Murphy's No.2 jumper in 2018.
"I got a call from 'Bevo' (coach Luke Beveridge) the day before pre-season," Young said.
"He said, 'we’ve got No.2 here for you, the coaches have decided that you'd be a player that would take that number over, and we'd like to offer it to you.'
"So then there was a decision whether I wanted to take it or not, obviously I did, and I was very humbled to be asked to."
Matthew Boyd will return for Friday night's clash with Hawthorn in what is likely to be a farewell game for the Western Bulldogs great.
With the reigning premiers needing several results to go their way to qualify for an unlikely finals spot, Boyd will join skipper Robert Murphy in saying good bye to Bulldog faithful.
"I don't usually leverage milestone games or sentiment around individuals," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.
"This week I think there's room to build that emotion around Bob and Matty Boyd.
"We go out there every week to win a game of football, and I think there's a little bit of stimulus there because there's romance around both boys."
Bob Murphy opens up about his struggles last year supporting his teammates while battling the personal pain of being sidelined by injury.
The Dogs broke a 62-year premiership drought by winning the 2016 flag, but did it without their skipper, who suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee in round three.
"No way I was going to be the sad guy and bring any of that down and halt some of that momentum," Murphy said.
"That took a bit of energy, being that leader of the footy club, and then at home it would all fall apart … I'm a lucky man that my wife [Justine] is an incredibly strong, brave woman and she nursed me through it.
"It wasn't easy, but that was my role … to have a quiet word to the players, put an arm around them and put them at ease as best I could. But they were going to war, a football battle, and I wasn't going with them. All I could do was wave them off at the pier."
The Western Bulldogs will be without captain Bob Murphy for the next three or four due to hamstring and knee injuries.
The club will take the opportunity to send Murphy into surgery to have a minor procedure on the knee he had reconstructed early in 2016.
"Our assessment over the last 24 hours has confirmed that Bob has a moderate grade hamstring injury," Bulldogs medical services manager Chris Bell said.
"We're also going to use this time while he's in rehab to perform a quick arthroscopic cleanout on his knee, to address some of the minor signs of wear and tear he's had."
Bob Murphy is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury late in the Western Bulldogs' 40-point win over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.
Murphy, 34, hobbled to the bench in the game's dying stages and appeared dejected as he took a seat on the pine.
He didn't return to the field and was icing the back of his left leg in the rooms after the game.
Premiership coach Luke Beveridge reveals that Western Bulldogs skipper Robert Murphy has returned the Jock McHale Medal to him.
The Bulldogs coach won universal praise for his incredible gesture on Grand Final day when he called the injured Murphy to the premiership dais following the Bulldogs' historic win.
"I put him in a difficult situation, but he had to have recognition," Beveridge said.
"He returned the Jock McHale Medal. He gave it back to me on Sunday morning. He said he couldn't keep it. But he thanked me for the gesture.
"The medal will go in the Western Bulldogs museum as a symbol of the camaraderie and respect that Bob has fostered over the course of his career at the Western Bulldogs."
The Western Bulldogs will ask the AFL to strike another medal to award its senior coach Luke Beveridge, after he handed his over to injured skipper Robert Murphy during the medal presentation post-Grand Final.
"I don't know how the rules of the AFL work in this regard … [but] a deserving and decent thing to do would be to strike another medal and give it to 'Bevo'," Bulldogs president Peter Gordon said.
"That would be, I think, the decent thing to do and I think the AFL are composed of decent people."
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has selflessly handed his premiership medallion to injured captain Robert Murphy.
In the ultimate show of respect, Beveridge welcomed Murphy up on to the stage when he accepted his medal and hung it over the neck of the 295-game veteran.
Beveridge then backed away when the Bulldogs were presented the premiership cup to let Murphy lift it aloft with stand-in skipper Easton Wood.
"It's a hard thing to put into words because it's very special," he said.
"He's an incredibly special human being. I love him for it. In some ways, I think, it's not the same as the other boys' medals, it's not the same as the 22, but for me, it means just as much.
"This is my footy club. I couldn't be prouder. I couldn't be happier. I'm just a very, very happy man."
Matthew Boyd says Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy's tears after the team's preliminary final win over Greater Western Sydney were a mix of disappointment and joy.
"Bob and I embraced on the ground and he was visibly emotional, as he should be. There was tears of happiness, too, and I think that was part of his emotions," Boyd said.
"He was so happy for the group and he's been such a huge support throughout the whole time.
"It was a terrible way to finish his season early in the year with a knee injury and then to watch the team go on to make a Grand Final.
"It could be very difficult for some and clearly it's difficult for Bob at times, but he's nothing but supportive.
"He wants nothing but the best for this footy club."
Easton Wood is adamant the Western Bulldogs would not be preparing for their first Grand Final in 55 years if not for the influence of injured skipper Bob Murphy.
"Bob's a pretty special person to this club and very much so to me as well," Wood said.
"He is 'us'. He is so much of our guiding force. There's no way we're without him.
"I'm certain I'm not the person I am, or, we're in the position I am without his influence."
Western Bulldogs veteran Robert Murphy was brought to tears on seeing his beloved club reach its first Grand Final in 55 years.
Murphy has spent 17 seasons with the Bulldogs, but has been stranded on 295 games after a knee injury ended his year in round three.
"There's a lot of emotional people out there and no doubt everyone feels for Bob (Murphy), but he's just been such an enormous support for the players," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.
"You guys know the sort of person he is; he's such a dignified young man, and he will just keep going about it the same way, nothing will change.
"At some point he's going to reflect and think, 'I wish I was playing', and think about what's happened to him.
"But as I said to him the other day, 'We're a better team with you in it, so if we win it this year, imagine how good we're going to be next year', so he's got a lot to look forward too."
Robert Murphy remains undecided about his playing future, admitting he oscillates between emotional extremes as he recovers from a second knee reconstruction.
"Depending on what day you get me, yesterday (it was) 'definitely yes', today 'definitely no', tomorrow who knows?" Murphy said.
"Until (I'm) a bit emotionally stable, I just need a little bit of time to sort through a lot of things.
"The days where it's 'yes' are the very primitive things that you miss – leading the boys out, being on the inside of being part of the gang. They're the things you crave, although I think that's just the lot of a footballer – you'll always miss that.
"On the other days it's, 'I'm almost middle-aged, I've had a hell of a good run; I know the road ahead, I know how hard it is (to come back from the injury and), it's not just 10 months out or 12 months out and then you come back and hit the ground running – it's a difficult road once you're back.'"
The Western Bulldogs will give captain Bob Murphy time to consider his playing future after scans confirmed the popular veteran had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee
"Bob's scans have just come in and they do confirm that he has ruptured his ACL and he has some medial ligament damage as well," Bulldogs football manager Graham Lowe said.
"We're going to give Bob the next few days to consider his position, and [his] plans for moving forward.
"The club will support him in any way we can to make sure we support him in making the right decision for him and his family."
Earlier, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said he would try and talk Murphy into playing for up to three more seasons regardless of his diagnosis.
"In recent times Bob and I have been talking about his future, and he's been really keen to keep playing beyond this year," Beveridge said.
"I've been really keen for him to keep playing for another couple of years and maybe even three.
"I'm hopeful that once it all settles and if it does confirm the worst after lunch time, that Bob's still got a bright future as a player and as the captain of our footy club."
Robert Murphy will be advised strongly to avoid a radical LARS operation when he consults with his surgeon in the coming days.
The 33-year-old will talk to surgeon David Young, who has completed traditional reconstructions for midfielders Tom Liberatore and Clay Smith and rookie Roarke Smith as the Bulldogs' knee surgeon of choice.
Young has been an outspoken critic of LARS surgery in the past and has already expressed his preference for Murphy to undergo a traditional reconstruction.
Robert Murphy is expected to require a knee reconstruction after suffering the injury in the dying moment's of the Bulldogs' loss to Hawthorn.
The 33-year-old twisted awkwardly as he attempted to spoil young Hawks forward James Sicily in the final minute of the game, and immediately grabbed for his left knee in pain.
He was helped from the field by trainers and left Etihad Stadium on crutches after the Dogs' three-point loss.
Marcus Bontempelli looms as the next captain of the Western Bulldogs after he was elevated to club's leadership group in just his third season in the AFL.
The 20-year-old has shown great maturity across his 37-career games and was voted in by his teammates to support re-elected skipper Robert Murphy, new vice-captain Easton Wood and veterans Matthew Boyd and Dale Morris.
Murphy said he was delighted to retain the captaincy in the knowledge the up-and-coming Dogs had plenty of young leaders waiting in the wings.
"It’s an honour to lead the club, it’s been an honour of mine to play for the club for a long time,” Murphy said.
"They’re (Wood and Bontempelli) high quality people, great players, and I think they really capture a lot of the spirit of the team and the club at the moment."
Easton Wood caps off a stunning breakout season by winning the Western Bulldogs' best and fairest award.
Entering the season on a one-year deal, the rebounding defender quickly established himself as one of the Dogs' most important players and finished the year with a three-year contract extension, All Australian honours and his first Charles Sutton Medal.
The 26-year-old picked up 268 votes to finish a clear winner ahead of skipper Robert Murphy (229) and second-year sensation Marcus Bontempelli (226).
"I never envisaged I'd have the honour of achieving this," Wood said.
"I truly love this club with every inch of my heart, I'm truly proud to be a part of it and I can guarantee you going forward I'll get every inch out of myself."
Lukas Webb says he has been looking to skipper Robert Murphy for guidance as a member of the Bulldogs' backline in 2015.
"He's a perfect role model, but he's pretty hard to play like and I take in everything I can off him," Webb said.
"Some people say I'm too left-sided, but I've been working on my right foot, which I'm trying to get in to my game.
"He's one of the best (dual-sided players) in the competition and he tells me to make sure I can use both sides because it opens up so many opportunities."
Robert Murphy says the desire to be part of the Western Bulldogs' next wave of success has inspired him to sign a new one-year-deal with the club.
"I'm still enjoying my footy and I obviously love this place so to get another contract, I'm really happy about it," Murphy said.
"I love seeing how the young guys are shaping our footy club so I'm keen to come along for the ride.
"The success, there's going to be plenty of shades of what it looks like, but I think we showed on the weekend that there are some exciting times ahead."
Robert Murphy overcomes an elbow injury to notch his 250th game in the Bulldogs' season opener against West Coast.
"He's just a great man to have in your club," Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney said about Murphy.
"Just a brilliant person to coach, and if you're a young player in the club, you're quite blessed to have his calibre around you, to learn from and want to emulate."
After suffering an elbow injury at training, Robert Murphy will meet with a surgeon later this week to determine whether he needs to go under the knife which will keep him on the sidelines for longer than the initial eight to 10-week prognosis.
"It was probably spoil of the year, that's what the boys have been calling it, but probably more awkward than anything if I'm being brutally honest," Murphy said.
"Crossing fingers I don't have to do that (surgery) and be able to get back in to it sooner than later."
Robert Murphy will miss eight weeks after injuring his elbow at training.
"Bob landed awkwardly on his elbow at training today, and scans showed some damage to the tendon," Bulldogs medical services manager Andrew McKenzie said.
"While we expecting confirmation from the specialist, we're optimistic Bob will be available to play in the early parts of the season."
Robert Murphy signs a new contract with the Bulldogs until the end of 2014 and says he has no interest in joining a premiership contender to close out his career.
"I've been asked a few times, 'Would you ever consider going to a side in that premiership window?'," Murphy said.
"And it just didn't sit well with me to do that.
"I'm not going to judge people who have done it - good luck to them. But it's just not for me. The Bulldogs are my footy club and part of who I am and it means more to me to help the Bulldogs."
Thursday, 16 February 2012
The AFL Players' Association has supported Bob Murphy in saying homosexuality in the AFL is irrelevant.
"There seems to be a real fascination with who's going to be the first AFL player who's going to come out and publicly acknowledge their same-sex attraction," Matti Clements, the wellbeing services manager at the AFL Players' Association, said.
"I'm really surprised that there is still such a fascination with this. It's a non-issue."
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Western Bulldogs defender Bob Murphy says the football public is wrongly obsessed about gay footballers in the AFL.
"I think numbers and figures fuels a bit of a sick fascination," Murphy said.
"We've come a long way, and football's just a reflection of general society. I think the fact that it's still an issue, and that I'm standing here answering questions probably suggests we haven't come far enough."
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Robert Murphy has re-joined the Western Bulldogs' leadership group after dropping out in 2011 to focus on recovering from his injuries.
"[In 2011] I got my body right, enjoyed the year but towards the end of the year I realised that I thought I still had something to offer in that regard," Murphy said.
"It [my 2011 season] is not all down to that [surrendering the official title] - I was just more settled down back. Hopefully I can still get a kick being in the leadership group."
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Matthew Boyd wins his second Charles Sutton Medal after downing Robert Murphy in the Bulldogs' best and fairest count.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Robert Murphy says he is delighted after being named an All Australian for the first time in his 12th season of AFL football.
"It comes back to that word consistency, that is what everyone is after and you would have heard a lot in the speeches tonight," Murphy said.
"It was definitely my most consistent year and I am over the moon. I am genuinely shocked to be in the team whereas I think the other guys would have expected it. I am genuinely shocked and really pleased."
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Assistant Paul Williams believes Robert Murphy is well and truly over the knee injury that hampered him in 2009.
"Rob looks like a different man to where he was this time last year," Williams said.
"Everyone knows how much duress he was under last year - he hardly trained at all, he would basically recover after games and then play again.
"So to have him doing what he's doing now is really good for all of us. His knee is now no problem at all."
Friday, 12 June 2009
Bulldog Robert Murphy, having overcome a hamstring injury, believes he's lucky to earn an immediate recall with teammates in good form.
"Three weeks felt like about 10, so it's nice to be back," Murphy said.
"Games are hard enough to miss as a player, so to miss that one and then with the way we've been playing, I thought for a little while there might not be a spot for me because the boys were starting to build something.
"I'm fortunate to be back and hopefully I can do my bit."
Monday, 18 May 2009
Scans on Robert Murphy's injured hamstring bring better news than anticipated for Bulldogs.
Murphy is expected to miss just two games after scans revealed the injury to be less severe than expected.
"It is better news than we first anticipated," Bulldogs' football manager James Fantasia said.
"He's got a slight grade one tear in the sheaf of the hamstring, not in the muscle, and effectively, he'll miss a couple of weeks.
"We're hoping it's just the two weeks. It's a better report than we were expecting."
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Bulldogs forward Robert Murphy to miss Friday's game against Geelong with a hamstring injury.
Scott Welsh will become even more important for the Bulldogs now that Robert Murphy has suffered a hamstring injury.
"It's good to be back. I was happy to contribute to the team and get back and running," Welsh said.
"I was stuffed after last week but the more games I play, the more match fitness I get.
"I'm a bit knackered now but we'll do recovery during the week and just get ready for next week."
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Forward Robert Murphy will return for the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, but Adam Cooney's availability is uncertain.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Rodney Eade expects Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy to return from knee surgery in a fortnight.
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Robert Murphy will not play on Easter Monday, and may be introduced via the VFL, says Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade.
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Rodney Eade has confirmed forward Robert Murphy will not play for the Bulldogs this weekend as he recovers from knee surgery.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Western Bulldogs forward Robert Murphy may play for VFL affiliate Williamstown on Saturday.
Monday, 30 March 2009
Robert Murphy may miss the first month of the season due to a slower than expected recovery from off-season knee surgery.
Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says star forward Robert Murphy could be held back until round four.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy will continue their races against time to be fit for the Western Bulldogs' Round 1 match against Fremantle.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Bulldogs pair Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy may miss their club's round-one clash against Fremantle.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Western Bulldogs star Robert Murphy heads a host of AFL stars who will play in the VFL on Saturday.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Western Bulldogs' Adam Cooney will face Sydney in Saturday's NAB Challenge match but he and Robert Murphy will play no more than half.
Saturday, 28 February 2009
The Western Bulldogs' Round 1 side is taking shape after Jason Akermanis, Robert Murphy and Mitch Hahn returned to action in the club's practice match.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Robert Murphy has told of his connection with Victoria's horrific bushfires, saying he spent the weekend fearing for his sister's life.