It was the moment which made Amy Jackson “feel like the grandma” of Melbourne Victory.
Her teammate Alana Murphy – just 16 years of age in her first Liberty A-League campaign – was sorting through her closet at home when she came across a piece of Victory memorabilia she simply had to share with Jackson.
“We were at training one day, and Murph said: ‘AJ, I’ve got a signed poster of you at home that I got from a game years ago when I was little’,” Jackson told KEEPUP.
“I was like: ‘Whatever, make sure you bring it’. So the next time we were at AAMI Park, she actually brought it in and we had a really good laugh about it.”
Murphy found her Jackson poster in the back of one of her cupboards; it’s the kind of place a child stores treasured items they don’t wish to part with – and that’s exactly what the poster meant to a young Victory fan who grew up to become a key member of the playing squad in her mid teens.
“I wish I did remember (the day I signed it),” Jackson said. “We were trying to track back to how old she was when I signed it and which year it was, and she was like: ‘Amy, I was eight’.
“It really took me back and made me feel like the grandma of the team. But it was also a moment for me where I realised I’m in a place of privilege; privilege in the fact that as an A-League footballer I can actually make an impression and mentor younger girls. That was probably the best part of Murph bringing the poster to training.
“For me, that was something so special because when she brought it in, it was only a couple of weeks later she scored her first goal for the club. In some way I felt part of her journey. Again it made me so grateful for the role I can play in somebody’s career.
Jackson added: “I’m not the most talented player, my work ethic gets me to where I am, whereas I think Murph is so naturally talented that if she an learn the tricks of the trade early so the hard work, the positive attitude, the team camaraderie, that’s what I want to help her with.”
Murphy and Jackson have spent the 2021-22 Liberty A-League season operating in Victory’s midfield unit, at times alongside each other, at times replacing one another off the bench.
Murphy has made 13 appearances in her debut campaign. Her 14th could come in the Grand Final against Sydney FC at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
It’s the rematch of last season’s title decider, which Murphy was invited to as one of Victory’s train-on players through the 2020-21 campaign.
Murphy watched on from the stands as Victory stunned Sydney FC with a 1-0 win decided off the foot of fellow young prospect Kyra Cooney-Cross; it inspired a dream which Murphy actualised this season.
“It was so good to watch,” Murphy said. “My heart rate was going through the roof.
“It definitely made me feel more a part of the team, I thought this is something that would be an amazing way to spend my life. It was definitely a motivator.
“It’s definitely something I’m excited to experience. It’s like nothing I’ve done before, so I just can’t wait to get it done.”
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This season Murphy has swiftly become a core member of the senior squad, as the first graduate of the club’s Elite Girls Program for girls from under-15 to under-19 level designed to bridge the gap between junior football and Liberty A-League level.
Jackson has watched Murphy come out of her shell in the process, letting her “cheeky” nature out incrementally after joining the squad as a “shy, timid young girl”. But there’s no ego to match her natural talent – Murphy is simply a resilient young player “hungry to play a big part” at Victory now, and in the future.
“I think she’s definitely hungry for more game time, and game time at this level – I can sense it,” Jackson said.
“I know that if I am not able to play, or if I have to come off, there’s someone sitting on the bench that can do the job and get it done well. I think Murph has done that incredibly well this season to the point where she’s actually performed and pushed starters out of their position.
“You can have personal accolades and be elected for certain teams, but the things I remember are the team wins, winning a championship and the people you’re surrounded by when you do that. I think for Murph, she’s had a taste of that last year and now she’s hungry to play a big part in helping the team succeed on a different level compared too last year.
“In terms of her as a person, we can look at the football side of it and we know she’s talented, but she’s a nice girl, she’s got good morals, she’s very respectful. She has started to open up a little bit so I’ve seen that change in her from the shy, timid young girl that came in to the cheeky, yet respectful young lady who is part of our squad.
“I think that’s the best part of it, that she’s been able to grow as a person surrounded by our team.
“I don’t think she’ll be the type of person who’ll have a big ego, I think she’s very grounded. Her family are beautiful people, too, so she’s in a great environment to be a humble person and to be very successful.”
It’s been many years since Jackson and Murphy first met. The haziness of an eight-year-old Murphy’s memory of the moment, and Jackson’s inability to pinpoint the occasion itself amongst the countless poster signings and community appearances suggest their first meeting – although special upon reflection – does not hold the same weight of importance in their relationship as their interactions today.
Once it was a fan and a role model. Now it’s two teammates – one mentor and one protege – sharing vivid moments on and off the pitch they’re unlikely to forget.
“I had just come back from injury, and one of the first full contact sessions I had I won the ball off her, and she responded to win the ball and she tackled me,” Jackson recounts.
“I looked at her, and she looked at me. I was like: ‘Yeah, you’re trying to take my spot too’.
“We had a laugh afterwards, but in that moment it was: ‘I’ll make you better, and you’ll make me better, but everyone’s going to benefit from that’.
“In terms of her having a competitive streak she’s got it, and I love it.”
LIBERTY A-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL – PODCAST VIEW
The Grand Final preview from our team at the Official A-Leagues Podast, featuring former Matildas star Amy Chapman, who will be the co-commentator on Sunday. Listen below or via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.
