Former Super League and NRL star lands new role following long-serving coach’s departure
Justin Murphy slides over to score a try for Catalans Dragons in the 2007 Challenge Cup final
Former Catalans winger Justin Murphy has been handed the reins of the Dragons’ under-19s amid a re-shuffle of the backroom team in Perpignan.
Murphy, who scored 53 tries in 66 appearances across all competitions as a player for Catalans, spent the 2024/25 French Elite Championship campaign working as an assistant with club’s under-19s.
The 47-year-old had assisted long-serving coach Patrick Noguera, who had spent 15 seasons with the French club.
But Noguera has now departed, and Murphy in turn has been handed his new role as the youngster’s head coach.
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Former Super League and NRL star lands new role following long-serving coach’s departure
Born in Sydney, Murphy donned a shirt at first-grade level Down Under for both Canterbury Bulldogs and New Zealand Warriors, representing the latter in the 2002 NRL Grand Final defeat against the Roosters.
His first steps into the British game came with Widnes at the back end of 2004, and after scoring one try in five appearances for the Vikings, the winger made the move over to Perpignan.
At the time, Catalans were still plying their trade domestically, but entered into Super League for the 2005 campaign, and the rest is history.
Finishing as Super League’s top try-scorer in 2006 despite the Dragons ending bottom of the table, he made the Dream Team: and went on to score a try in the 2007 Challenge Cup final against St Helens, though that ended in defeat.
As six-time France international Murphy moves into his new role heading up the club’s under-19s, Catalans have appointed Thomas Valette to assist reserves head coach and former captain Rémi Casty.
Valette arrives in Perpignan on the back of a seven-year stint at Pia Donkeys which saw him guide them to both the Elite 2 title and promotion up to Elite 1, the top tier.
Elsewhere, former Dragons star Thomas Bosc will oversee the club’s development programme alongside Bruno Castany, the Head of the Training Centre, and Sporting Director Neil McIlroy.
Rounding things off, Jean Szarvas has been appointed as Catalans new Strength and Conditioning coach, tasked with both the reserves’ first-team and the juniors.
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