South Aussie son of a gun Jordan Murdoch has more shots in the locker entering crunch finals for Geelong
WHY former Norwood on-baller Roger Murdoch backs son Jordan to fire for Geelong when it takes on Melbourne in Friday night’s elimination final.
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ROGER “Froggy” Murdoch “gets goose bumps” recalling the night son Jordan’s AFL dream crystallised with a life-changing call from Geelong skipper Joel Selwood.
Former Norwood on-baller Murdoch will paint crayfish mecca Port Macdonnell blue and white if quick Cat Jordan aces a career-defining finals series starting against Melbourne at the MCG on Friday night.
Roger, late bloomer Jordan, and half a dozen mates crammed into an Adelaide motel for AFL draft night 2011 hoping for the best before Geelong used its No.48 selection on the 19-year-old, 190cm wingman.
“We went to Adelaide for draft night, were all in a motel room and super excited when his name got finally called out not really knowing what was going to happen. Joel Selwood and Jimmy Bartel were ringing and welcoming him to the club,” recalled Murdoch who made 100 appearances for the Redlegs from 1984 until Jordan’s birth in 1992.
“It was a dream come true as a football fanatic father for a lad to get an opportunity like that at such an incredible club.”
Fast forward 107 games and off-contract Murdoch faces a fork in the road this September.
“This finals series is important career wise. He has played finals before and is keen to really step up and play well,” said Roger Murdoch ahead of Geelong’s elimination final clash against a Melbourne side returning to September after a 12 year absence.
“Eight years ago if someone told us he was going to play 100 AFL games we would have taken that and been super proud as we are now. A good finals series will stake his place in the system.
“It will be a really tight finals series but it they can get past an exuberant Melbourne maybe the sky is the limit for the club.”
Jordan Murdoch spent a gap year as an apprentice painter in his dad’s Port Macdonnell business after a hand injury cruelled his draft ambition in 2010. It was an irregular route for the kid from South Australia’s southern-most point but Murdoch cashed in on state selection as one of two over-age players permitted due to injury in his first draft year.
A fit Murdoch exploded into the consciousness of scouts in 2011, impressing at the AFL draft combine, earned a senior debut then won a reserves flag with the Bays.
“Jordan was a late bloomer and blew away the speed running at the combine and that is where they really started to take notice of him,” said painter Murdoch, who once employed inaugural Crows best team man Rodney Maynard and radio commentator Stephen Rowe.
“He played in a few league games, reserves premiership, went to Geelong and everything bloomed from there.”
Roger Murdoch gained his nickname for an amazing vertical leap into packs, immortalised with a hanger over Glenelg and state defender Scott Salisbury in 1990.
Jordan and younger brother Brodie could have turned out for Norwood as father-son selections but retaining a smooth pathway through Glenelg made sense.
“The boys had the same passion for footy as I did as kids. Although they didn’t win best and fairest as kids they had the signs and skill level,” said Murdoch with Brodie managing 22 games for St Kilda from 2013-16.
“I gave the boys a choice but was it was a lot easier to do the representative stuff with other country boys they had come through the system with. Each of them were only there a year and fortunate enough to get drafted and it has just progressed from there since.”
Murdoch senior quietly believed his boys had the spunk to make it at the elite level. Jordan and Brodie were suspended from Allendale primary school for a dust up where both stood their ground which still turns a chuckle from the old man.
“The boys were close on the footy field but the only time they got suspended at school was for fighting each other, Murdoch told The Advertiser.
“Their mother was a teacher at the school so it was pretty embarrassing for her. I had to deal with the discipline side of that incident and try not to laugh at the same time.
“I think Jordan was playing footy and was a bit rough with one of Brodie’s mates and over competitive so they tried to dong each other which was pretty funny.”
Despite his early school antics, Jordan was “academic” notes Roger, pursuing tertiary study in environmental science and now teaching. However the versatile Cats wingman/half-forward doesn’t want to give up his day job having ridden into battle with greats past and present.
“The club is a fantastic place. He has played footy with Matty Scarlett, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett and Patrick Dangerfield, some amazing, legends of our game,” said Murdoch.
“Just for him to be able to tell his grandkids that is going to be something special for him. He has had an incredible career for a little fella from Port Mac.”