Patrick Murtagh

Last updated

Patrick Murtagh
Born (2000-02-11) 11 February 2000 (age 24)
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
American football career
No. 88 – Jacksonville Jaguars
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school: The Southport School
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Undrafted: 2023
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Injured reserve/international
Australian rules football career
Personal information
Original team(s) Labrador (QAFL) / Gold Coast Suns Academy (Talent League)
Position(s) Ruck / Key Forward / Key Defender
Playing career
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2020–2022 Gold Coast 0 (0)

Patrick Murtagh (born 11 February 2000) is an Australian professional American football tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) and a former professional Australian rules footballer for the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL). He joined the Jaguars through the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in 2024.

Contents

Early life

Murtagh was born in Queensland to an Australian father and a mother from Papua New Guinea. [1] He attended The Southport School [2] throughout his upbringing and was a national-level decathlete as well as a Queensland state champion. [3] He was also awarded a place on Australia’s Commonwealth pathway, a program run by the Australian government designed to subsidise college tuition, before he instead decided to pursue a professional career in Australian rules football. [4] [5]

Australian rules football career

At 18 years of age, Murtagh switched sports and began playing Australian rules football for the Labrador Tigers in the semi-professional QAFL state league and worked his way through the club ranks before making his senior debut for the Labrador in June 2019. [6] He was also invited to take part in the Gold Coast Suns Academy, [7] which would lead to being drafted by his hometown professional AFL team the Gold Coast Suns as a Queensland Academy zone selection at the 2019 AFL Draft. [8]

Murtagh was placed on the Suns rookie list and played 28 games for their developmental VFL team over his three-year stint with the club, which was highlighted by a preliminary final appearance against crosstown rivals the Southport Sharks. [9] [10] Throughout his Australian rules football career he played in the positions of ruck, key forward and key defender. [11] He was delisted in September 2022 without playing a top level AFL game. [1]

American football career

In 2023, Murtagh joined the NFL International Player Pathway as a tight end. [12] On 4 May 2023, Murtagh was allocated to the Detroit Lions, but had to step down on 22 May 2023 due to a medical issue. [13] [14]

Murtagh was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars on 15 April 2024. [4] He was waived/injured on 27 August 2024. [15]

Personal life

Murtagh is the son of Michael and Vala Murtagh. [16] He lost his father to cancer in 2021. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisbane Bears</span> Former Australian rules football club

The Brisbane Bears was the name for a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Granted a Victorian Football League license in 1986, it was the first privately owned club in the history of the competition and debuted in the 1987 VFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrara Stadium</span> Stadium on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Carrara Stadium is a stadium on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara.

Marcus Ashcroft is a former professional Australian rules footballer. He played 318 games for the Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions and held the position of General Manager of Football at the Gold Coast Football Club until 2018. The Marcus Ashcroft Medal, awarded to the player judged best on ground in the QClash football match played between the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Football Club, is named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Frawley (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer

James Frawley is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Gold Coast Suns in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Palm Beach Currumbin in the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Coast Suns</span> Australian rules football club

The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara.

Zac Smith is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Gold Coast Suns and the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for Gold Coast from 2011 to 2015 and 2020 to 2021, as well as Geelong between 2016 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Bowes</span> Australian rules footballer

Jack Bowes is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), having previously played for the Gold Coast Suns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Stanton</span> Australian rules footballer

Jamie Stanton is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Suns in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Brisbane Lions from 2017 to 2018 and the North Melbourne Football Club in 2019. Stanton was the inaugural Gold Coast Club Champion in 2020 and is a dual Gold Coast leading goalkicker.

The International Player Pathway Program (IPP) is a program run by the National Football League (NFL) to increase the number of players from outside the United States or Canada in the NFL. The program was formed as part of the NFL's strategy to grow globally as it provides athletes with the opportunity to play in the league. Its aim is to increase the pool of talent and ultimately drive global fan growth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Graham</span> Australian rules footballer

Caleb Graham is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Connor Budarick is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Jade Pregelj is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Brisbane in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). She has previously played for Gold Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dee Heslop</span> Australian rules footballer

Dion 'Dee' Heslop is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Brisbane in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). She has previously played for the Gold Coast.

Kalinda Howarth is an Australian rules footballer with the Collingwood Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She was previously listed at the Brisbane Lions in 2018 and played for the Gold Coast Suns from 2020 to 2023. Howarth is a dual Gold Coast leading goalkicker and was named in the 2020 AFL Women's All-Australian team.

Ellie Hampson is an Australian rules footballer playing for Brisbane in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). From 2020 to season seven (2022), she played for Gold Coast.

David Lake is an Australian rules football coach who is a former coach of the Gold Coast Suns women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW).

Hewago Paul Oea is a Papua New Guinean former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL) and for the Papua New Guinea national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Ashcroft</span> Australian rules footballer (born 2004)

William Ashcroft is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was taken as pick number 2, under the father–son rule. Ashcroft is a premiership player and Norm Smith Medallist, claiming both distinctions in Brisbane's 2024 premiership victory against the Sydney Swans.

Will Graham is a professional Australian rules footballer who was selected by the Gold Coast Suns with pick 26 in the 2023 AFL draft.

References

  1. 1 2 Martelli, Joel (27 January 2023). "Former AFL player breaks down remembering late father as he chases NFL dream". 7NEWS. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Boswell, Tom (16 February 2021). "Gold Coast Suns rookie Patrick Murtagh details the incredible eating habits behind his hulking frame". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  3. ↑ Shipley, John (15 April 2024). "Jaguars Sign TE Patrick Murtagh Through International Player Pathway". Sports Illustrated Jacksonville Jaguars News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 Oehser, John (15 April 2024). "Jaguars Sign Australian TE Patrick Murtagh". www.jaguars.com. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Commonwealth supported places (CSPs)". Australian Government. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  6. ↑ Wilson, Terry (21 June 2019). "QAFL Round 11 Preview". AFL Queensland. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "Gold Coast Suns recruit national track star into their academy". Gold Coast Bulletin. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "Champion decathlete joins SUNS as Queensland Zone Selection". goldcoastfc.com.au. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Patrick Murtagh Player Bio". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  10. ↑ Malchow, Alex (22 December 2022). "NFL International Player Pathway spotlight: Patrick Murtagh, TE, Australia". American Football International. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  11. ↑ "Champion decathlete joins SUNS as Queensland Zone Selection". goldcoastfc.com.au. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  12. ↑ Horesh, Laurie (4 May 2023). "Former Gold Coast Sun Murtagh joins NFL's Lions". ESPN.com. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  13. ↑ Birkett, Dave (4 May 2023). "Detroit Lions allocated Australian TE through international program". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  14. ↑ Reisman, Jeremy (22 May 2023). "Lions add new international player after Patrick Murtagh has medical issue". Pride Of Detroit. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  15. ↑ "Roster Moves: Jacksonville Jaguars Make The Following Roster Moves Hours Before 2024 Roster Deadline". Jaguars.com. 27 August 2024.
  16. ↑ Boswell, Tom (16 February 2021). "Gold Coast Suns rookie Patrick Murtagh details the incredible eating habits behind his hulking frame". Gold Coast Bulletin. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  17. ↑ "Australian tight end Patrick Murtagh signs with Jacksonville Jaguars on International Pathway Program". Fox Sports. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.