When Jeparit-Rainbow's reserves take on Kalkee, Murphy will remarkably play his 600^th game of senior football.

The milestone also coincides with Murphy's 250^th for Jeparit-Rainbow.

Murphy, 51, said even he sometimes questioned why he was still playing.

"I probably should know better by now and stop, shouldn't I?" he laughed.

"I'm getting to that stage where I need a bit of grease in a couple of spots to loosen me up.

"But I don't really pay any attention (to the milestone).

"I don't do it for the pride, or getting a pat on the back. It's just a part of growing up in a small country town, and being a kid with not much else to do on the weekends."

Murphy said he had always loved football as a staple of his weekly routine.

"It's a bit of sanity for the week, to get out and have a run around and then to have a catch up after the game," he said.

"A couple of cold beers afterwards, it finishes off the week pretty well. It's good for the mind, and the body I think."

Murphy said his dedication to football was also about giving back, to help maintain an important part of the community.

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"Lack of numbers in football is sort of going on everywhere," he said.

"We all have to chip in now, to try and keep footy going for these little country towns. It would be a bloody boring winter without it."

But beyond his humble demeanor, Murphy is still one of Jeparit-Rainbow's key players on the field. He helped the reserves win a premiership in 2018, and has been named in the side's best in every match this season.

Murphy said he had enjoyed helping the Storm's younger brigade as much as he could this year.

"I might be able to teach them a few bad things, maybe what not to do," he said.

"We have a heap of kids coming through, so I try to help them out a bit, because a fair few of them are playing under-17s, then reserves as well. So it is hard work for the lads.

"I'm still enjoying it, but I'm getting to the stage where it would be good to see those young guys come through and take my spot."

Murphy, nicknamed Rock, was also thankful for his remarkable durability across the years.

"Every game you can run out there I guess is a bonus," he said. "I've been lucky not to cop anything. I've rolled plenty of ankles and broken a few ribs, but nothing that's required seeing a doctor.

"I go too slow to get hurt. Slow and steady - which doesn't always win the race, mind you."

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