Credit: <\/span>Paul Rovere<\/cite><\/p>\nMurphy\u2019s game effectively ended the moment his head crashed into Lion Lincoln McCarthy\u2019s left shoulder late in the opening quarter of a grand final for the ages.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old defender, who has been a critical part of the Pies\u2019 success, emerged from the rooms and was at the quarter-time huddle, but he was substituted for Patrick Lipinski early in the second term after his latest concussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, I couldn\u2019t be out there for too long today, but it was just awesome seeing the boys do their thing,\u201d Murphy told this masthead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI passed the test, but I ruled myself out. I had a bit of blurry vision, and with my concussions, I kind of get them delayed. I know the concussion test off by heart now … I\u2019ve done that a couple of times now, where I\u2019ve passed it, then we\u2019ve ruled me out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m totally fine now, actually pretty good. I can\u2019t remember too much of the game, but I\u2019m remembering a lot of this [post-match celebration], so that\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy spent the rest of the match watching helplessly as Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions traded leads before magnificent Jordan De Goey and Steele Sidebottom strikes from long range delivered the Pies a four-point win.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was one of the hardest things I\u2019ve ever done,\u201d he said, while holding the premiership cup in his left hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have loved to have a camera on me, just seeing it, but that moment at the end was one of the best feelings ever, sharing it with everyone, so it was amazing.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of us are saying this, but it just doesn\u2019t feel real. It feels like I need to wake up. I\u2019ve got this medallion around my neck and I don\u2019t know what to do with it. It\u2019s so nice seeing everyone in here. This is like everyone\u2019s journey mixed into one, and it\u2019s hard to describe what\u2019s going on right now. It\u2019s just awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy hailed everyone from Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill to American Pie, Mason Cox, while sparing a moment for hard-luck stories Dan McStay, Taylor Adams and John Noble \u2013 but saved the most praise for coach Craig McRae.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just an amazing person. It\u2019s been a big day for him \u2013 he had his daughter this morning and now a premiership today,\u201d Murphy said of McRae.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re so lucky to have him. This wouldn\u2019t be happening without him and the coaching staff, and I love the man to bits. Being a head coach is a tough gig sometimes, but he\u2019s just been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Everyone wants to kick you when you\u2019re down\u2019: Mitchell takes aim at critics<\/h3>\n
Marc McGowan
<\/em>Collingwood midfielder Tom Mitchell has taken aim at his critics after a standout grand final performance, declaring he is the happiest he has ever been in his life.<\/p>\nThe 2018 Brownlow medallist has worn significant and ongoing criticism throughout his career, even while breaking records as one of the game\u2019s best-ever ball-winners.<\/p>\n
The latest came when Mitchell started as the substitute, then was subbed out, in rounds 18 and 19 this year, leading some to suggest the ex-Swan and Hawk was in danger of losing his spot for the Magpies\u2019 finals campaign.<\/p>\n
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Jeremy Howe and Tom Mitchell lif tthe premiership cup.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\nMitchell responded with 24 disposals, 13 tackles and seven clearances in Saturday\u2019s four-point grand final triumph, as he became a premiership player for the first time, seven years after tasting defeat on the same stage at Sydney and 11 months after his trade from Hawthorn.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing. I remember I was in these exact change rooms in 2016, when we lost, and that feeling was absolutely shattering,\u201d he told this masthead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many ups and downs in footy, like snapping my leg in half [in pre-season training at the start of 2019] and thinking I might not play again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really wasn\u2019t enjoying my footy last year \u2013 I wasn\u2019t happy as a person and, to be honest, this is the happiest I\u2019ve ever been in my life. \u2018Fly\u2019 [coach Craig McRae] always preaches that happy players produce the best results they\u2019re capable of. I\u2019m a believer in that, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI go to training every day with a smile on my face, and I love this group of boys. They wrapped their arms around me, and all the new players, as soon I walked into the club, and I felt a part of it straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for those critics, Mitchell did not miss them. He is typically more guarded when he speaks in the media and rarely bites back at his doubters, but this time was different.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel as though everyone\u2019s been pretty keen to write me off throughout my whole career. I feel like I\u2019ve proven them wrong again today \u2013 apparently, I\u2019m not in the best 22,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone wants to kick you when you\u2019re down, and that\u2019s the culture we live in, unfortunately. When you have an off game, it\u2019s the end of the world. You don\u2019t buy into the hysteria outside the footy club \u2013 you do hear bits of it, obviously, but, to be honest, it didn\u2019t distract me … I\u2019m just happy to play my small part for the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the most connected team I\u2019ve ever been a part of, so I\u2019m just proud to be a part of it. I\u2019m so lucky that Fly and \u2018Wrighty\u2019 [football boss Graham Wright] got me to the club, and they\u2019ve just embraced me with open arms, and given me the belief in myself, when other clubs haven\u2019t wanted me, so it feels pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Thought I would pretend to cramp\u2019: Sidebottom reveals thoughts before kicking the match-winner<\/h3>\n
Collingwood hero Steele Sidebottom considered faking cramp to kill the clock before kicking the goal that sealed the 2023 premiership.<\/p>\n
The veteran, who declared this flag as more special than his first in 2010, said he was initially not intending to go for glory, and passing to Nick Daicos instead, but he changed his mind when he felt the wind at his back after being awarded a 50-metre penalty.<\/p>\n
Sidebottom\u2019s goal proved vital in a frenetic conclusion to the grand final, giving the Magpies the buffer they needed to withstand the Lions\u2019 late charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought I would pretend to cramp to try and just kill a little bit of time,\u201d Sidebottom said. \u201cBecause we were obviously in front at that stage. And then when I got there, I realised there was a little bit of a wind and I thought I would have a crack at it. Luckily enough, it come off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Already, the length of his kick, from about 55 metres, is being exaggerated. \u201cFrom 80, I think it was, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d Sidebottom said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you reckon it felt? Unbelievable. Usually, my kicks go left to right, it probably just brought it back nicely. It felt nice. I\u2019ll remember that one for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Steele Sidebottom and Brayden Maynard enjoy victory.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Paul Rovere<\/cite><\/p>\nSidebottom was part of the Magpies team that was triumphant in 2010 \u2013 just his second season. The Pies, under Mick Malthouse, had the makings of a dynasty, but things gradually went awry.<\/p>\n
Defeat in the 2011 grand final after being minor premiers, followed by a preliminary final loss in Nathan Buckley\u2019s first season, a week-one exit in 2013 and missing September entirely the following season, not returning until 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very young when I won the first one, this one will mean a hell of a lot more to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sidebottom was among the Pies\u2019 best, with 20 possessions and a goal playing on the wing. He and Josh Daicos\u2019 efforts ensured the Pies won both wings, dulling the Lions\u2019 usual attacking panache.<\/p>\n
When the game was on the line late, his 32-year-old legs and the mind of the oldest man on the field Scott Pendlebury ticked quicker than most.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur fitness staff are so good,\u201d Sidebottom said. \u201cThey put things in place so that when it comes down to five minutes to go, we were running on top of the ground and I think our numbers throughout the year show that we finish off games.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Read the room, Jack\u2019: Ginnivan gets a clip from McRae<\/h3>\n
Damien Ractliffe
<\/em>Collingwood coach Craig McRae gave Jack Ginnivan a clip in his post-match press conference after the young Magpie spent grand final eve at Moonee Valley at the races.<\/p>\n\u201cJack\u2019s growing up. Is he the youngest player in our team? I think he could be [after Nick Daicos],\u201d McRae said in his post-match press conference. \u201cThere\u2019s so much he learns from today, and don\u2019t go to the races the day before is something I\u2019d say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if he wasn\u2019t happy about Ginnivan going to Moonee Valley, McRae said: \u201cRead the room, Jack\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to grow up, but you\u2019ve got to make mistakes to learn from them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the youngest the player in the room [after Daicos], and he\u2019s got great role models and resilience shown here [Bobby Hill] is a great role model for him. We\u2019ll keep trying to educate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not finished. We are nowhere near finished. We\u2019ll grow and make more mistakes and then try and get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
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