Lining up against St Kilda defender Steven Baker brought on worries for the Bulldogs’ Bob Murphy. Baker had a reputation for being a ruthless, physical and antagonising player, missing 28 games due to suspension throughout his career.
Murphy lined up on Baker just after Baker had served a suspension for striking Geelong star Steve Johnson in round 13 of 2010. Murphy’s thoughts turned into fear as he stood beside the St Kilda defender, however, what proceeded was far from what Murphy and anyone would have expected.
“So this was right in that time where he and Stevie Johnson went at it and were throwing proper punches. This was a throwback to a different era,” Murphy told SEN Breakfast.
“I was playing in the forward pocket and Baker’s manning me and the ball is 150m away.
“I remember sort of thinking, okay, you’re about to get hit here. Something is about to go down.
“You’re sort of getting yourself into that frame of, what do I do when it happens?
“He’s probably thinking you’re a scrawny, skinny thing, I’m just going to beat up on him.
“And he whispers in my ear – ‘have you got a sausage dog?’
“All I said, was ‘yes’ (in a high pitched voice) and for the next 15 minutes, it rattled me. A punch wouldn’t have rattled me at all, but the fact that I didn’t know if he was serious.
“It was one of the great sledges because it distracted me for a good 15 minutes.”