Bob Murphy

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.… (meer)

Read this overnight for VPRC. This is the kid's version of Bob Murphy's biography. Very amusing look at his footy life written in an easy-to-read conversational format. From his priest Dad falling in love with his nun Mum, to growing up in the country, to first footy recollections to finally being drafted and the heartbreak of missing the Grand Final in 2016. A very honest, down to earth book that boys will love. Could read parts aloud such as p.85- 92 when he starts playing AFL. Highly recommended.… (meer)