Super Netball: Meet Gerard Murphy, the new head coach of the Melbourne Mavericks.
He grew up tagging along to netball games with his mum as a ‘bag boy,’ now this ‘netball nerd’ is ready to test his coaching credentials as the Mavs’ new head coach in Super Netball.
He is the self-described “netball nerd” whose love for the game started as “bag boy” for his mum growing up around the sport in country Victoria.
Now Super Netball’s newest coach, Gerard Murphy is ready to put his stamp on the league’s youngest franchise and is confident he can drive the team to a maiden finals appearance.
Murphy was earlier this week named as the Melbourne Mavericks’ new head coach following the club’s three-month search to replace foundation coach Tracey Neville.
The 43-year-old has built towards the role with two decades of coaching experience in the state’s netball pathways, including as coach of the Geelong Cougars in the Victorian Netball League, head coach of the Victorian men’s and mixed netball association and, most recently, coach of the Vixens Academy in the Super Netball Reserves.
Murphy revealed he had turned down interstate coaching offers before in Super Netball, but felt the timing was now right to launch into the world’s best league.
“I have had offers and discussions with a few interstate clubs over the years about coming in as an assistant or potentially moving into a head coach role,” Murphy said.
“But I wasn’t ready with my corporate work and my other work outside (of netball) to take on the move, number one, or take on a role.
“It wasn’t something necessarily I didn’t feel I could have attempted or wouldn’t have liked to, it’s probably more timing and I felt like now is a good opportunity, otherwise I may miss this cycle and then it might be another three years before another batch of jobs comes up.
“I have always hoped and had an aspiration that I would coach SSN some day.
“I’ve been coaching for 20 years …. I always hoped I would get the opportunity to do it and am grateful that Mavericks have seen a good fit with me in their environment and for me as well with them.”
Murphy becomes the Mavericks second head coach after former England mentor Neville for the club’s third season in Super Netball.
He will be reunited with Mavericks’ and Diamonds’ assistant coach Nicole Richardson, whom he has coached alongside previously in the VNL.
After the Mavericks missed the finals in their first two seasons in the league, Murphy’s first major goal was to get the team into the top four in his first season at the helm.
“We are definitely aiming for top four,” Murphy said.
“Even this year, they were able to match it for large portions of the game with the top teams, but there was just often a quarter or lapses in game plan or execution which let them down.
“If we can just tailor that a little bit with the additions of Reilley (Batcheldor), Sacha (McDonald) and Jamie-Lee (Price) now into there I think will help give us more options and variety to combat any of those other top teams.
“The goal is definitely to be aiming and heading into the top four and I think we have the capability and the personnel to do it.”
Asked if he felt the Mavericks’ could be a premiership threat with their new-look line-up, Murphy said “absolutely”.
“Watching the girls over the last few weeks and then Jamie and Amy (Parmenter) back this week, we just did some match play today, just watching the standard of the match play and everything is awesome,” Murphy said.
“They have been great already … I feel very confident.”
Growing up in Seymour, in country Victoria, Murphy caught the netball bug at a young age when he and his siblings followed his mum around to games.
He has played netball himself since he was old enough to take the court, and represented Australia in the men’s 23 and under team, and still plays in the M-League, the state’s top men’s and mixed netball competition.
“I’m just a netball nerd, I watch a lot of netball,” Murphy said.
“I’ve always played netball. I’ve been playing since I was five years old. My mum was a big netballer, I would go to the tournaments with all the girls and be the bag boy basically while mum coached and umpired and did everything else.
“All my cousins played. My brothers and sisters we all played mixed together and everything and did school netball.
“I still play premier men’s in our M-League …. I player-coach in our Cougar men’s team at the moment, so heading into prelim final next week and then the grand final the week after.”
Off court, there is not much Murphy has been afraid to have a go at either, having studied biology, osteo and business alongside corporate jobs, which he hopes to continue to juggle part-time alongside his Mavericks’ coaching commitments.
“I’m the kind of person who likes a lot of variety. The more I do, the more I get done.
“So I like having quite a lot on and a little bit of pressure on the timescale to keep pushing through things. It’s a good motivator for me.”
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