Gerard Murphy opens up on taking Melbourne Mavericks’ top role and how decade-long Geelong stint shaped him
The son of a “netball nerd”, Gerard Murphy has landed one of just eight head coaching roles in the SSN. And he’s confident he is as prepared as he’s ever been to succeed at the helm of Melbourne Mavericks.
Gerard Murphy fired off a meme to a Geelong Cougars’ group chat a few weeks back.
Then, on the cusp of being announced as the Melbourne Mavericks’ second-ever head coach, the 43-year-old, affectionately known to many as ‘Gez’, reflected on where he first started as a coach in his early 20s to now becoming one of just eight Super Netball head coaches – two of those males – in the world’s best netball league.
“It was a coach in their 20s, and there was a guy who was just yelling, and going off his head,” Murphy said of the image.
“Then there was a coach … once they hit their 30s, was sitting calm, in a thinking pose, just saying one thing.
“That’s the epitome of where I’ve got to as well – a very hot-headed coach in my earlier days, very vocal all the time, very involved and sometimes too aggressive.
“And then over time, moderating and realising there is different ways to communicate – you can get an impact in different ways.”
The Mavericks ended a three-month search for a head coach this week when they unveiled Murphy as a first-time SSN coach.
But while he may not boast the same high-profile name of his predecessor, decorated English netball coach and ex-player Tracey Neville, it’s hard to dispute the distinguished resume he’s built across two decades coaching various teams in the Victorian high performance pathways – from 12 years as a championship-winning VNL head coach at Geelong Cougars, to coaching Victoria’s men’s and mixed teams to national success, and this year leading the Melbourne Vixens’ academy team.
He said his evolving coaching philosophy – built through mentorship, high performance and sports psychology – aimed to get the best outcomes for his players and help him become the “most effective coach” he can be, as he continues to play himself in Victoria’s men’s state league: “It’s great to practice some of the things I’m coaching.”
“I’ve done kind of everything, across all the levels, and still coach the junior boys now with our Wednesday night netball, as well as playing and coaching my older guys,” he said.
“Just a really broad coverage, different personalities, different issues to deal with …
“I’ve been able to have a role and work through and learn all the different steps and elements across the netball sphere.”
Hailing from the small country Victorian town of Seymour, it’s there Murphy’s lifelong involvement in netball was born.
“My mum was a netball nerd, she ran the association and was always involved, umpired, played,” Murphy recalled.
“I was the boy playing in the girls team from seven years old.”
A talented basketballer too, Murphy’s talents were most evident on the netball courts, eventually earning his first state team selection at 18 when he moved to Melbourne for university.
At his peak, Murphy toured with and captained Australia’s under-23s, but as the self-funded nature of men’s netball wore on, and work commitments grew, he winded back his playing commitments, as attention later turned to coaching.
As far as apprenticeships go, Murphy had one of the best working under legendary VNL head coach Marg Lind at the powerhouse City West Falcons, before building his own perennial finals contender at Geelong Cougars over the last decade.
It’s a club he said had “enormous” impact on his growth as a coach.
Though his 12-year stint at the Cougars might have been longer than anyone anticipated, with the often twice weekly commute up the highway from his Melbourne home in Clifton Hills continuing year-on-year.
“That’s a testament to the fact I’ve enjoyed it … and we’ve had a great group of athletes and won a few premierships,” Murphy said.
Murphy’s Super Netball appointment sees him reunite with former teammate and fellow coach in current Mavs and Diamonds assistant Nicole Richardson.
First coaching together under Lind at the Falcons, the two won a mixed national championship together.
And it’s Richardson’s established presence at the club across its early years, and Murphy’s own relationship with her, that has the new coach confident his appointment is all the more suited.
“It’s not like, well I’m a new coach to SSN, I’ve been involved and around it for a while, but certainly having Richo there just for some of that validation and ideas on some of those things is obviously helpful for me,” he said.
“Coming into a head coach role, it’s pretty much the ideal scenario, where you have an existing assistant coach who coached at the level before, rather than a new assistant coach as well.
“In terms of risk, pretty low risk.”
Murphy believed his and Richardson’s coaching styles married up well.
“Richo and I coach 70 per cent alike,” he said.
“I coached with her at Falcons for five years where we won four premierships, so we have a good, similar style of play.
“We’ve had some variation now over the years now we’ve split this last 10 years, but certainly a lot of it is similar.”
As the burgeoning franchise eyes a maiden finals appearance in its third year in the league – following fifth and seventh place finishes in 2024 and 2025 – Murphy said there had been nothing but support from both the Mavericks and SEN management teams.
“Now they’re into their third year, they’ve learnt a lot about running a netball program and now taking some next steps and (putting) some support models in place and other things,” he said.
“They’re very supportive in growing the program … and filling some of the gaps that might have been there.”
Moving their training base from Waverley to Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre this pre-season is among those big steps.
“Being at a premium facility, MSAC is an amazing stadium, there is always stuff happening, so many courts, the pool, the gym … for the athletes the player lounge is there, we’re getting a new office set up,” he said.
And while some might have a concern inheriting a roster they had no say in, Murphy remains confident in the athletes he has at his disposal for next season after an off-season list overhaul.
“It’s basically the team if I was coaching prior I would have selected anyway, very close too,” he said.
“Coming in I feel very comfortable we’ve got the team there that I think I’ll be able to coach and work well with.”
With midcourters Jamie-Lee Price and Amy Parmenter only just arriving for pre-season this week, there has been little impact on the team’s preparations considering Murphy’s own late appointment as coach, as all eyes turn to a mid-March season-opener against GIANTS.
“We couldn’t really do everything until Jamie and Amy were back anyway, we were doing lots of foundation things,” he said.
“But now kind of resetting, and the whole team and coaching staff are together now.
“The existing S & C staff have done an awesome job over the last couple months to make sure the girls were ready and conditioned and prepared.
“And now we hit the courts the last three weeks, and just building up court time gradually now.
“They’re looking really good.”
Cougars on hunt for new leader with Murphy Mavericks’ bound
Geelong Cougars will look to move quickly to appoint its first head coach in more than a decade, following longtime mentor Gerard Murphy’s unveiling as Melbourne Mavericks’ new coach earlier this week.
Murphy remains involved in the Cougars’ process of finding his successor to help aid a smooth transition, while he said he would also give his support from the sidelines next season when and where he could.
“We’ve got a plan in place with Cougars to go through recruitment now,” Murphy said.
“That will be pretty quick to move through – we don’t want to sit on it too long because it’s coming into Christmas, and then it's January period and only a little bit of time left before the season starts.”
Cougars’ under-23 coach Mel Savage is expected to remain in her current role, with family and work commitments keeping her out of the head coach conversation.
“She’ll be a great support role, assistant coach, whatever it is, and continue with 23s,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the Cougars had been really supportive of him taking up the Super Netball coaching offer, in what remains a bittersweet end to his time at a club he has been head and championship coach since 2014.
“It’s been a long time, especially me and Mel coaching together for over 10 years now, it’s like a mini-second family now, we spend a lot of time together,” Murphy said.
“And coaching, you go through a lot of tough times or challenges you’d deal with together – you do form a bond.
“And for the girls, it is a little challenging, they sign up to play and the expectations are set and now I’m not going to be there for the season.”
The club congratulated Murphy on his Mavericks’ appointment in a social media post, adding he had given an “enormous amount of himself” to the Cougars.
“It’s difficult to describe how proud we are of him as a coach, mentor and life member of the Geelong Netball Club,” the club wrote.
Savage said she was “incredibly proud” of both her mentor and friend.
“The level of dedication and expertise he has brought to our club over many years sets a high standard and inspires those around him,” Savage wrote about Murphy.
“He takes great pride in his craft, is hard working and his technical brilliance has made a real difference to me personally and the teams and individuals he has coached.”
The Cougars have become a finals powerhouse since Murphy took over in 2014, with last season's championship team’s slip down the ladder a rare one as their under-23s went on to make a grand final.
During Murphy’s time as coach, the club took out the championship title in 2019, as well as two division 1 (2017, 2023) and 19 & U (2016, 2017) premierships under the former three-tier structure.
“When I started 12 years ago, I scraped around for local players, we started a bit of a strategy – a bottom two (champ) team, after three years we were in finals and pretty much been in finals every year until last year,” Murphy said.
“Seven out of 11 years, we’ve been a top 4 team in all divisions, or at least two of the three divisions.
“That was the goal – to make sure we were always a finals contender and to have a really solid program that prepared players well if they wanted to pursue next level, and just try and help them be their best and have a great pathway in place around the Barwon region and Geelong.”
“I think we achieved those goals.”
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Originally published as Gerard Murphy opens up on taking Melbourne Mavericks’ top role and how decade-long Geelong stint shaped him
The self-confessed ‘netball nerd’ stepping into the Mavs’ hot seat
