Graham Murray

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title: "Graham Murray" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1955-births", "2013-deaths", "20th-century-australian-sportsmen", "australia-women's-national-rugby-league-team-coaches", "australian-rugby-league-coaches", "fiji-national-rugby-league-team-coaches", "hunter-mariners-people", "illawarra-steelers-coaches", "leeds-rhinos-coaches", "new-south-wales-city-origin-rugby-league-team-coaches", "new-south-wales-rugby-league-state-of-origin-coaches", "north-queensland-cowboys-coaches", "parramatta-eels-players", "rugby-league-halfbacks", "rugby-league-players-from-new-south-wales", "south-sydney-rabbitohs-captains", "south-sydney-rabbitohs-players", "sportsmen-from-new-south-wales", "sydney-roosters-coaches", "wynnum-manly-seagulls-coaches"] description: "Australian rugby league player and coach (1955–2013)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Murray" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian rugby league player and coach (1955–2013) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox rugby league biography"]

Field	Value
name	Graham Murray
fullname	Graham Ernest Murray
image	Graham Murray (22 September 2008).jpg
caption	Murray in 2008
birth_date
birth_place	Peak Hill, New South Wales, Australia
death_date
death_place	Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
height	171 cm
weight	75 kg
retired	yes
position
club1	Parramatta Eels
year1start	1976
year1end	80
appearances1	46
tries1	9
goals1	0
fieldgoals1	0
points1	27
club2	South Sydney
year2start	1981
year2end	83
appearances2	43
tries2	7
goals2	0
fieldgoals2	0
points2	21
coachteam1	Illawarra Steelers
coachyear1start	1991
coachyear1end	95
coachgames1	95
coachwins1	51
coachdraws1	5
coachlosses1	39
coachteam2	Hunter Mariners
coachyear2start	1997
coachgames2	18
coachwins2	7
coachdraws2	0
coachlosses2	11
coachteam3	Leeds Rhinos
coachyear3start	1998
coachyear3end	99
coachgames3	65
coachwins3	48
coachdraws3	1
coachlosses3	16
coachteam4	Sydney Roosters
coachyear4start	2000
coachyear4end	01
coachgames4	57
coachwins4	31
coachdraws4	1
coachlosses4	25
coachteam5	North Qld Cowboys
coachyear5start	2002
coachyear5end	08
coachgames5	161
coachwins5	79
coachdraws5	1
coachlosses5	81
coachteamA	Fiji
coachyearAstart	1995
coachgamesA	3
coachwinsA	1
coachdrawsA	0
coachlossesA	2
coachteamB	City NSW
coachyearBstart	2001
coachyearBend	05
coachgamesB	5
coachwinsB	3
coachdrawsB	0
coachlossesB	2
coachteamC	New South Wales
coachyearCstart	2006
coachyearCend	07
coachgamesC	6
coachwinsC	2
coachdrawsC	0
coachlossesC	4
coachteamD	Australian Jillaroos
coachyearDstart	2010
coachyearDend	12
source
::

|name = Graham Murray |fullname = Graham Ernest Murray |image = Graham Murray (22 September 2008).jpg |caption = Murray in 2008 |birth_date = |birth_place = Peak Hill, New South Wales, Australia |death_date = |death_place = Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia |height = 171 cm |weight = 75 kg |retired = yes |position = |club1 = Parramatta Eels |year1start = 1976 |year1end = 80 |appearances1 = 46 |tries1 = 9 |goals1 = 0 |fieldgoals1 = 0 |points1 = 27 |club2 = South Sydney |year2start = 1981 |year2end = 83 |appearances2 = 43 |tries2 = 7 |goals2 = 0 |fieldgoals2 = 0 |points2 = 21 |coachteam1 = Illawarra Steelers |coachyear1start = 1991 |coachyear1end = 95 |coachgames1 = 95 |coachwins1 = 51 |coachdraws1 = 5 |coachlosses1 = 39 |coachteam2 = Hunter Mariners |coachyear2start = 1997 |coachyear2end = |coachgames2 = 18 |coachwins2 = 7 |coachdraws2 = 0 |coachlosses2 = 11 |coachteam3 = Leeds Rhinos |coachyear3start = 1998 |coachyear3end = 99 |coachgames3 = 65 |coachwins3 = 48 |coachdraws3 = 1 |coachlosses3 = 16 |coachteam4 = Sydney Roosters |coachyear4start = 2000 |coachyear4end = 01 |coachgames4 = 57 |coachwins4 = 31 |coachdraws4 = 1 |coachlosses4 = 25 |coachteam5 = North Qld Cowboys |coachyear5start = 2002 |coachyear5end = 08 |coachgames5 = 161 |coachwins5 = 79 |coachdraws5 = 1 |coachlosses5 = 81 |coachteamA = Fiji |coachyearAstart = 1995 |coachyearAend = |coachgamesA = 3 |coachwinsA = 1 |coachdrawsA = 0 |coachlossesA = 2 |coachteamB = City NSW |coachyearBstart = 2001 |coachyearBend = 05 |coachgamesB = 5 |coachwinsB = 3 |coachdrawsB = 0 |coachlossesB = 2 |coachteamC = New South Wales |coachyearCstart = 2006 |coachyearCend = 07 |coachgamesC = 6 |coachwinsC = 2 |coachdrawsC = 0 |coachlossesC = 4 |coachteamD = Australian Jillaroos |coachyearDstart = 2010 |coachyearDend = 12 |coachgamesD = |coachwinsD = |coachdrawsD = |coachlossesD = |source =

Graham Ernest Murray (6 January 1955 – 28 July 2013) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.

A New South Wales State of Origin head coach, Murray coached extensively at the highest club level: coaching the Illawarra Steelers, the Hunter Mariners, the Leeds Rhinos, the Sydney Roosters and the North Queensland Cowboys between the years 1991 and 2008. He also coached the Fiji national rugby league team, the City New South Wales rugby league team and the Australian women's team. He was named Dally M Coach of the Year in 1992.

Personal life

Murray was born in Peak Hill, New South Wales to James Murray and Shirley Gallagher. He was the youngest of five siblings.

He married Amanda Jurd on 15 December 1984. On their ninth wedding anniversary they had a daughter.

Playing career

Parramatta

Having starred for the Parramatta third-grade side in the middle 1970s, Murray took over as captain of the Eels' reserve grade side in 1977. He was regarded as too skilful for reserve grade rugby league, owing to his great organisational ability, which had him known as "little Artie" after Arthur Beetson. With international halfback John Kolc suffering ankle ligament damage, Murray spent some time in first grade during 1977, but returned to captain the reserve grade side to a premiership when Kolc was fit. 1978 saw Murray take over from Kolc as first grade halfback for most of the year, but the emergence of soon-to-be champion Peter Sterling caused him to flirt between the grades in 1979 and 1980. In 1979 he captained the reserves to their third premiership in five years.

South Sydney

Murray moved to Souths in 1981 and played fairly regularly in first grade until he left at the end of 1983 to play in the country.

Coaching career

Murray began his coaching career with appointments as reserve grade coach at Penrith, where he won a premiership in 1987 and helped develop many of the future 1991 first-grade premiership team, and Balmain.

Illawarra Steelers

Murray was made coach of the Illawarra Steelers for the 1991 Winfield Cup season. In 1992, he guided the club to its only ever trophy with a 4–2 win in a tryless final against the Brisbane Broncos in the pre-season Toohey's Cup. He then took Illawarra to its first finals appearance in that season's Winfield Cup competition. During his tenure, the Steelers won more games than they lost, after having been perennial cellar-dwellers for the first decade of the club's existence. Murray was dismissed as head coach in April 1995 after he facilitated negotiations between Steelers players and representatives of the rebel Super League organisation. He was the only person out of the hundreds of players, coaches and administrators involved with the Super League saga to lose his job as a direct consequence of the brewing war.

Murray was the coach of the Fiji team in the 1995 World Cup, winning one game and losing two.

Hunter Mariners

Installed as coach of Super League's Newcastle-based Hunter Mariners club for its one and only season in 1997, Murray was able to construct a competitive team despite the apathy of the local rugby league community who were mostly supportive of the Newcastle Knights, who would popularly go on to win that year's Australian Rugby League premiership with a last-minute try in the 1997 ARL Grand Final. Although they made the final of the World Club Challenge in their first season, the Mariners were shut down as a condition of the establishment of the National Rugby League in 1998.

Leeds Rhinos

Left without a team to coach in Australia, Murray joined the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League, directing the team to their 1998 Super League Grand Final loss to the Wigan Warriors and 1999 Challenge Cup victory over the London Broncos. Murray signed a deal to coach the North Sydney Bears for the 2000 NRL season. However, before he could take up this position, the club was excluded from the competition and forced to merge with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to become the Northern Eagles, with this new joint venture to be led by Manly's 1999 coach Peter Sharp.

Sydney Roosters

After the resignation of Phil Gould as coach of the Sydney Roosters, Murray was quickly named as his replacement. In 2000, Murray proceeded to guide the Roosters to their first grand final since 1980, although they would lose this match 14–6 to minor premiers the Brisbane Broncos.

Murray was also the NSW City Origin coach from 2001 to 2005. Despite the grand final appearance in 2000 and a sixth-place finish in 2001, Murray was sacked by the Roosters two days after the end of his second season with the club.

North Queensland Cowboys

After starting 2002 in his former profession as a teacher of mathematics, he was made head coach of the North Queensland Cowboys to replace the sacked Murray Hurst in April. After three seasons of steady improvement, the Cowboys made the NRL finals for the first time in 2004 and finished one game short of the grand final. They improved on their efforts in the following season, reaching the 2005 NRL Grand Final, the Cowboys' first, which they lost to the Wests Tigers by 30 to 16.

Murray coached City to victory in the annual contest against Country Origin in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

In 2006, Murray was named coach of the Illawarra Steelers’ "Team of Steel", celebrating the club's 25th anniversary. Murray was appointed coach of the New South Wales rugby league team for the 2006 State of Origin series; despite winning the first game, the Blues lost the series to Queensland by two games to one. In 2006, the Cowboys missed the finals and finished in ninth position.

Murray was re-appointed as New South Wales coach in 2007, with the full support of the North Queensland Cowboys board. Once again, however, New South Wales lost the series by two games to one. In August 2007, Murray announced that he would step down as coach of New South Wales.

On 19 May 2008, Murray resigned as coach of the North Queensland Cowboys.

Later career

In 2010, Murray was appointed as the head coach of the Australia women's national rugby league team, the Australian Jillaroos. The Jillaroos would go on to win the World Cup against New Zealand in 2013, with the team dedicating their win to Murray.

He was appointed the Newcastle Knights’ High Performance Unit Director of Coaching for the 2012 season.

On 30 November 2012, Murray was appointed head coach of the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. Murray stood down as the Seagulls coach due to ill health.

Death

In March 2013, Murray was comatose for a week following a heart attack.

Murray had another heart attack in July 2013, and was subsequently hospitalised at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba, Brisbane. On 28 July, he was taken off life support and died later that day, aged 58.

Sources

References

References

1. Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Graham Ernest 'Muzza' Murray - Summary". Rugby League Project.
2. "Yesterday's Hero - Your Sporting Hero's - Graham Murray - Parramatta, South Sydney".
3. [http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/graham-murray/summary.html Rugby League Project]
4. (10 August 2007). "Murray quits as Blues coach". Fox Sports News.
5. (19 May 2008). "Murray resigns as Cowboys coach". North Queensland Cowboys.
6. Josh Massoud. (19 May 2008). "Graham Murray resigns as North Queensland Cowboys' coach". News.com.au.
7. "Graham Murray to coach Jillaroos". National Rugby League.
8. (14 July 2013). "Jillaroos win Women's World Cup". National Rugby League.
9. "Knights appoint Graham Murray - Newcastle Knights".
10. "Graham Murray appointed Knights HPU - Director of Coaching - rleague.com".
11. "Former NSW State of Origin Coach Graham Murray to Coach the Seagulls in 2013".
12. (28 July 2013). "Former State of Origin, NRL coach Graham Murray in serious condition in hospital". ABC News.
13. Walter, Brad. (28 July 2013). "Murray's life support switched off". The Sydney Morning Herald.
14. (7 August 2013). "Graham Murray: Rugby coach who took Leeds Rhinos to Super League success". The Independent.
15. (29 July 2013). "Graham Murray was a mate to everyone".
16. (28 July 2013). "Former State of Origin, NRL coach Graham Murray dies aged 58 after life support switched off". ABC News.

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