Magpies Crusaders coach Brian Murphy’s inner demons leads to new outlook on coaching

A true love of the game almost ended his life, but the new Magpies Crusaders coach is using his experience battling inner demons to help his new team.

New Mackay and Whitsunday Magpies Crusaders coach Brian Murphy ahead of the QPL 2022 season at Sologinkin Oval. Picture: Matthew Forrest

It is common to fall in and out of love with sports, but Brian Murphy’s glittered football career has gone through peaks and troughs more extreme than most.

Coming from an elite sporting family and signing academy contracts as a teenager, to rupturing his achilles to end his football career, the new Magpies Crusaders coach’s transition to leading a team was turbulent.

Murphy said his career had hit a low point when he was coaching in Auckland, when he lost control in the dressing room after a five-game losing streak.

“I was leaving the dressing room with my parents, my wife and my kid, and I knew in my heart I had probably resigned from the position,” he said.

New Mackay and Whitsunday Magpies Crusaders coach Brian Murphy ahead of the QPL 2022 season at Sologinkin Oval. Picture: Matthew Forrest

“But as I was leaving the dressing room one of the players turned to me and said ‘I hope you and your family die in a car crash on the way home’.

“That just rocked me, I felt numb for about three days and I had come to terms with not being a coach.

“I felt an empty numbness, I was depressed and one day when my parents went for a walk I tried to take my own life.”

Surviving a battle with his mental demons, Murphy found solace in teaching, but his competitive nature and love of football would not let him quit on coaching.

The Irish coach said his favourite trophy that sat on his mantelpiece reminded him why he loved the sport.

“It was a silver medal for runners-up, and it reminds me I don’t ever want to get another one of them,” Murphy said.

“It’s the one that got away, that’s going to drive me to do better next time, whether it’s what I could do better for the team or how I could help the players better.”

While a game of football is played between the white lines, Murphy is a firm believer on the athletes needing to be strong between the ears as well.

He said he believed his hardship and struggles were for a reason, and they helped him achieve success in a gruelling profession.

“I will do everything in my power to help the players develop and reach their full potential, but also protect them from the pitfalls at the same time,” Murphy said.

“These boys are some of the most intense group of players I have ever coached, they’re all so keen to be involved but there are times they need to step away and regain some balance.

“Every footballer wants to be the next Ronaldo, but there needs to be support systems in place for when that doesn’t happen.

“We’ve got some great sports psychologists working with us to make sure the bad times aren’t nearly as bad.

“I’m a firm believer in everything happening for a reason, I believe the path that I went down was there to make sure I can help the next group of footballers off the field as much as on it.”

Originally published as Magpies Crusaders coach Brian Murphy’s inner demons leads to new outlook on coaching