James ‘The Freak’ Morrissey is preparing to sell the Glen Huntly home he’s owned since he retired from the AFL after 106 games and three Premiership wins.
The goalkicking legend, who picked up his nickname for his ability to turn difficult positions into results on the scoreboard, and partner Nancy are downsizing from the 37 Dorothy Ave home he bought in 1994.
James ‘The Freak’ Morrissey has listed his long-time home at 37 Dorothy Ave, Glen Huntly, for sale with a $2m-$2.2m asking price.
While kicking goals in three flag victories in the span of four years had provided some unbelievably special moments, Morrissey said as a childhood Magpies fan he’d also enjoyed the 1990 match the Hawks missed out on so he could watch Collingwood break their then 32-year drought from the stands with his brothers.
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After hanging up the boots at the end of 1993, he went back to teaching — though now works in a government role.
In 1994 he decided to buy the 1927-built California bungalow because it was close to the Oakleigh school he was working in, and he loved the red-brick facade so much he wound up adding more of the building material around the home as paving.
Early next week the home will hit the market with a $2m-$2.2m asking price
The house is a side gate away from the EE Gunn Reserve which wound up becoming an extension of their back yard that offered the family tennis courts, a baseball field and off-leash dog park that perfectly suited their active lifestyle.
The home’s actual back yard comes with plenty of room to spread out in, or to relax with some gardening.
James Morrissey with the ball in the 1989 Grand Final, as his Hawthorn team mate Robert DiPierdomenico elbows Geelong’s Garry Hocking in the jaw.
“For a sporting family, it’s a really good spot,” Morrissey said.
“We could go and play baseball and tennis and footy at the park and there’s an off-leash park there to take our whippet, Abby, to.
“The park was a big part of our lives. It is usually quiet, but it’s handy for sport and the golf cage.”
And the availability of more space whenever you needed it became a core part of what they loved about their time at the home as the living zone was opened up to accommodate a crowd when entertaining.
“We had some ripper parties, we had an annual bash for Grand Final Day with all my old school mates coming around with their families, and there were a lot of fiftieths and twenty-firsts,” Morrissey said.
The striking kitchen is among the home’s more modern features.
A series of living zones offer space to practice the piano or to watch the footy as desired.
The house also had a music room with a piano and cello ready to go for the kids, and Morrissey himself had a games room set up “with a pool table and posters of Mohamad Ali and Nicky Winmar pointing to his chest”.
“That was my go to space,” he said.
A number of years ago his father-in-law also moved in with the family after they added a studio space with its own kitchen that went on to host their kids in their later teen years as they developed their independence.
The home is also surrounded by trees in the park next door, out the front and with a Norfolk Island pine in the backyard as well.
Easy access to trams along Glen Huntly Rd and trains from Ormond station has also meant it’s been easy to get to the city, the MCG and the Arts Centre — which has been important for music teacher Nancy who also taught at nearby Kilvington Grammar.
The studio has its own kitchen space and could suit multi-generational living.
The home office comes with built in shelving and leadlight windows.
“We loved this neighbourhood as it’s quiet and the neighbours are all pretty cool,” Morrissey said.
They’ve also given the home a modern update, installing an electric vehicle charging point as part of renovations.
Professionals First & Co listing agent Chloe Ha said the California Bungalow home was a relative rarity for the Glen Huntly area, and its four-bedroom, two-bathroom floorplan with scope for multi-generational living set it even further apart.
“It will most likely be an upsizing family,” Ms Ha said.
“But it would suit a multi-generational family.”
She noted the home’s “electric blue” kitchen could grab buyers as one of the more unexpected features, but the home’s wider renovation and extension would also appeal.
Expressions of interest for the 37 Dorothy Ave home are due by July 27.
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