South Adelaide sacks co-captain Nick Murphy

SOUTH Adelaide has given little detail about its decision to tear up co-captain Nick Murphy’s contract mid-season.

SOUTH Adelaide has given little detail about its decision to tear up co-captain Nick Murphy’s contract mid-season.

The club released a statement on Wednesday which said Murphy’s contract had been terminated immediately because he had “shown poor judgment” and failed to meet South’s “minimum standards” on a number of occasions.

A product of South’s country zone from Strathalbyn, Murphy played 116 games for the Panthers and had enjoyed strong form this season.

The Panthers had named the halfback-midfielder in their best players five times in 10 games this year and he was on track to rank highly in their best and fairest award, the Knuckey Cup.

“The Executive of the South Adelaide Football Club convened an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night, June 16, to be briefed on circumstances that had recently come to light regarding co-captain Nick Murphy’s failure to meet his obligations to the club and senior coach Brad Gotch,’’ South said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.

“It is the club’s view that on a number of occasions over a period of time Nick has shown poor judgment and has not met the minimum standards required of the club.

“Nick was immediately summoned to a meeting with chairman Andrew Luckhurst-Smith and (Gotch) last night whereby his services were terminated with immediate effect.

“There will be no further statement by the club.”

Murphy became the Panthers youngest-ever captain, at age 21, in 2011, after he had won the SANFL’s Star Search Award the previous season.

He was stripped of the captaincy in 2013, which he described as a “wake-up call”, but was voted back into the role by his peers as a co-captain with Josh Thewlis last season.

He again shared the captaincy this season with defender Bradd Crabb.

Murphy did not return calls from The Advertiser on Thursday.