CRICKET in the summer, footy in the winter. It’s pretty simple isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
For talented 17-year-old Nathan Murphy, it was a realistic experience with one having to give way in his final year of schooling.<\/p>\n
This time last year, Murphy was gearing up for the wicket-keeping job in the Vic Metro Under 19 team at December\u2019s National Under 19 Championships.<\/p>\n
The right hand batsman and Brighton Grammar cricket captain clunked seven catches in the tournament, after months earlier scoring a fine 84 not out against Western Australia in the quarter-finals of the Under 17 carnival.<\/p>\n
Twelve months on and the dual-sport athlete looms as a likely first round selection at Friday\u2019s AFL Draft, appealing to clubs after a superb APS school football season for Brighton Grammar and in the latter part of the year for TAC Cup side Sandringham Dragons.<\/p>\n
AFL has been a back thought in the 188cm Murphy, with various representative cricket programs taking centre stage.<\/p>\n
Murphy even got to wear the coveted green and gold for the Australian Under 16 team \u2013 scoring three consecutive half-centuries at the top of the order in 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got presented with the baggy green from Ryan Harris, it was probably one of my biggest honours to date,\u201d Murphy said.<\/p>\n
The busy journey through the representative programs kept Murphy on his toes, with sleep being one of the few sacrificies for the Year 12 student.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in Monday and Wednesday\u2019s mornings in at 6.30am at the \u2018G, going to the gym, then staying back and having a hit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A close bond with Will Sutherland has been shared throughout their cricketing journey, with Sutherland picking cricket over football \u2013 a battle which played out in front of the media throughout the middle of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing the gym sessions we were talking about it, I guess everyone was asking us but when we did see each other we wanted to get our minds off it,\u201d Murphy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pretty lucky that I flew under the radar but his decision was a bit forced. The message for us was that it was up to us and that we can\u2019t let others decide for us,<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t complain about what Cricket Victoria offered me, the coaches Greg Shipperd, Joffa (Jarrad Loughman), all of them have been amazing for me, it was pretty full on. Even this year I was training in June\/July with the Victoria 2nd\u00a0XI future squad.\u201c<\/p>\n
2017 AFL DRAFT PROFILE: NATHAN MURPHY<\/u><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Murphy, 17, last year was part of Brighton Grammar\u2019s \u2018three-peat\u2019 of APS premierships, juggling his cricket and football commitments throughout the year.<\/p>\n From spending mornings in at the MCG, afternoons in the classroom, before further football training after school, time management was a key skill drilled into Murphy.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople say it must be hard to juggle both sports, but when you love them both so much, it\u2019s pretty easy to do both and find time for them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an awesome challenge and I was able to be taught a few lessons in time management and stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Brighton\u2019s coach former Adelaide & Fitzroy coach Robert Shaw has been a big influence on the talented teenager.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been awesome for me, him (Shaw) and probably manager Pickers (Liam Pickering) & Pitch (James Pitcher) also as well,” Murphy said.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth Pickers and Shawry have had experience with cricket and football and their main motto was to keep doing both sports for as long as possible because I\u2019m passionate about both, so they definitely didn\u2019t make me chose and no program made me chose \u2013 it was up to me, as at the end of the game you want to do the sport that you love the most. \u201c<\/p>\n VIC U19 cricketer Nathan Murphy kicked 7 gls at CHF for BGS – Had scouts asking questions after their win v GGS.Another 'Will Sutherland?'<\/p>\n — Matt Balmer (@MattBalmer7) May 13, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n