Abrahams went on to kick 230 for his career and, alongside the legendary Kevin Murray, was among the first two Fitzroy players to be selected in an All-Australian side.
Age = 27
Height = 180cm
Weight = 82.5kgs
Half back flank specialist, one of the best in Australia. He has been playing in the ruck for the Royals. Strong, hard hitting player who goes straight for the ball and relies mainly on pace and excellent ball handling. Captained the VFL in 1964, and former captain-coach of Fitzroy, he was appointed to his present position as captain-coach of East Perth last year. Appointed state coach in place of Jim Conway (Claremont) who resigned from the position last year. Occupation: Sales Representative.
It's all terribly different to 1969, when Kevin Murray was at a function organised by a Fitzroy coterie group, the Lionhunters, who held their own best and fairest count and listened to the Brownlow count on radio.
"I happened to win on that night, and about 30 of them carried me on their shoulders down Bourke St, blocking the trams, down to Swanston St. We did a right hand turn up to the Town Hall, blocking the trams again, then another right hand turn into Collins St, still blocking the trams, and back to Queen St, where the dinner was," Murray said before the 2008 count.
It was a happier occasion than in 1961, when Murray was bookies' favourite for the medal. Lou Richards and Ron Casey from HSV-7 sat in his kitchen listening to the count on radio. "They bolted half way through when it was clear I wasn't going to win," Murray said.
There is probably no more prominent figure in our Club’s history than Kevin ‘Bulldog’ Murray.
Now, courtesy of the support from the long-standing Lion Hunters coterie group, Murray will be the guest of honour at every Lions match-day function in Victoria as part of his very own Hyundai Kevin Murray Club.
“It is a tremendous honour to have this club named after me,” Murray said.
“I’ve very much enjoyed attending the Victorian Chairman’s Circle and Lion Hunter functions over the years and hope that this new event can bring everyone together to enjoy a good day out at the footy.”
Some weeks later, Sue and Bill wrote to Kevin to express their
gratitude. A letter came back soon after, written from Kevin’s
home at Arcadia , in which Kevin says,
‘The most important thing that I have learnt from all my hard
years at Fitzroy and 40 years climbing around scaffolds in the
building trade , you never forget where you came from, we all
have to start somewhere. Meeting Bill that day gave me as
much enjoyment as it did to Bill, because when I was at Fitzroy
it was people like Bill who gave me the inspiration to achieve
what I did during my career.”
Lions Legend Kevin Murray takes a sneak peek at the Club's new memorabilia display at Etihad Stadium http://twitpic.com/7i84s3
AMID the maelstrom of fan frustration and debate over his loyalty, Paul Roos will never forget two letters that arrived in late 1994 after he made the painful decision to quit Fitzroy and head to Sydney. The first came from Ted Whitten, with whom Roos had developed a relationship when playing for Victoria. The second came from a less likely source, but it was precisely the affirmation that Roos wanted in what was one of the most difficult times of his career. The man who sent the handwritten letter was none other than Kevin Murray, one of Fitzroy’s favourite sons and a man who stuck with the club through thick and some very thin (other than when he had two seasons as captain-coach of East Perth).
The link between Roos and Murray was that both men from different backgrounds and eras helped to make the No.1 Fitzroy jumper one of the most revered and respected in the game. That No.1 guernsey has this week been judged as the fifth greatest number in VFL/AFL history, by a panel of experts and writers. “The club, as we knew it, was gone. I’ll always be grateful that one of the greatest Fitzroy players (Murray) understood all of that.” Murray remembers sitting down to pen the letter, saying as much as it hurt him to see Roos leave the maroon and blue, he could see why the man who wore his number made the decision.
