Murray Barnes

NSL Career: Sydney City 226 (60) / 1977 - 1986

Socceroos Career: 32 (6) A Internationals / 20 (3) B Internationals

One of the great captains of Australian football, Murray Barnes was a one club man who was a leader on and off the pitch for Sydney City. Barnes played a major role in the success of the great Sydney City team during the early era of the NSL. Tall and strong, Barnes was one of the toughest Australian midfielders to play in the NSL, providing his skilful team mates time and space to do what they did best and contributed plenty of goals with his thunderous shot.

Growing up in the Ku-ring-gai district of Northern Sydney, Barnes played his junior football with clubs Kissing Point and Northern Tigers before moving to Sydney Hakoah, where he made his first team debut in the NSW First Division as a 17 year old. In 1972, Hakoah coach Bobby Collins (former Leeds United midfielder and Scottish international) arranged for Barnes and team mate Kevin Mullen to move to England to serve apprenticeships with Leeds United who had finished as First Division runners-up in the 1971-72 season.

Barnes's experience with the Leeds side, who played tough and aggressive football, helped the young midfielder mould his style of play. Barnes returned to Hakoah and was part of the side that reached consecutive grand finals in 1973 and 1974. In 1975, Murray made his full international debut in a friendly against China, becoming a regular thereafter.

In 1977, Hakoah joined the new Phillips Soccer League that was in part formed by Hakoah president Frank Lowy. Playing alongside talented Scottish midfielders John Stevenson and Joe Watson, Barnes had a brilliant season in front of goals, scoring 12 goals in 23 league games as Hakoah claimed the inaugural NSL Championship. 

In 1978, Barnes scored in his first Socceroos match as captain in a one-all draw against Greece. Hakoah missed out on the 1978 NSL Championship by a point in the final round before going on to win the inaugural Play-Off Series, where Barnes scored an equalising goal in the semi-final against league champions West Adelaide.

Barnes missed out on Australia's two A internationals in 1979 but continued to perform for Sydney City (formerly Hakoah), helping the club finish third in the regular season before going on to win back-to-back Play-Off Series Grand Finals.

In 1980, City's captain Eddie Thomson became player-coach and the club signed Newcastle KB star Ken Boden, who combined with Barnes to score 24 league goals as City went on to become the NSL's first two-time champions. City finished runners-up to Heidelberg in the Play-Off Series before Barnes's form earned him a Socceroos re-call, taking the captaincy back from Marconi star Tony Henderson.

Thomson finished his playing career at end of the 1980 season but stayed on as City coach, handing the captaincy over to the 27 year old Barnes. The club beefed up their squad to maintain success in the 1981 season - bringing in Socceroos striker John Kosmina, Marconi utility Jim Cant and former Hibernian winger Willie Murray. 

The attacking force of Barnes, Kosmina and Boden led City to back-to-back championships as the club set the standard for the NSL. Barnes captained and played his last game for Australia during the 1982 World Cup qualifiers in a 10-nil win over Fiji in which team mate Gary Cole scored a FIFA World Cup qualifying record seven goals.

 In 1982, Barnes played in a deeper role as young stars David Mitchell and Jim Patikas became attacking dynamos for City and the side finished the season with a league record 68 goals - winning their third consecutive championship (fourth overall) and finished runners-up in the Play-Off Series for a second time.

Between 1983 and 1986, Barnes remained captain of the City side that lost just 21 games in four seasons and finished league runners-up in 1983 and 1985. In 1986, Barnes won all possible NSL team honours by winning the NSL Cup. City's NSL Cup title qualified the club for the one-off Oceania Cup Winners' Cup match in 1987, where Barnes led the side to a two-nil victory over New Zealand's North Shore United.

Barnes hung up his boots at the age of 33 following City's exit from the league after the first round of the 1987 season. The big midfielder was selected at centre midfield in FFA's Socceroos Team of the 1980s and was inducted in to the Football Australia Hall of Fame in it's second induction ceremony.