Marc Murphy

Career: 2006-
Debut: Round 1, 2006 vs Melbourne
Carlton Player No. 1091
Games: 96*
Goals: 77*
Guernsey No. 3
Height: 180cm
Weight: 80kg
DOB: 19 July, 1987
AFL Rising Star Nominee: Round 1, 2006
AFLPA Best First Year Player: 2006
Carlton Best First Year Player: 2006


A brilliant young footballer with an impeccable pedigree, Marc Murphy joined the Blues as pick number one in the 2005 National Draft. He is the son of former Fitzroy and South Melbourne legend John Murphy (246 games, 374 goals, 6 times Best and Fairest) and the grandson of Leo Murphy (132 games, 22 goals, twice Hawthorn Best and Fairest).

Marc earned All-Australian selection at Under-18 level as a ruck rover, and won the Larke Medal as the best player of the 2005 Division 1 State Championships. He could have chosen to go to Brisbane under the father-son rule, but opted to stay close to his family in Victoria. A rover with deadly skills, great agility and a keen understanding of the game, Carlton’s assessment of his ability was obvious when he was allocated the number 3 guernsey to commence his career with the Navy Blues.

Murphy debuted for Carlton in Round 1, 2006 and quickly showed that Carlton’s faith in his potential wasn’t misplaced. Eleven kicks and 6 handballs, together with his first senior goal, was a performance strong enough to earn him a NAB Rising Star nomination in the Blues surprise victory over the Demons. Several other young guns also made stellar debuts in round 1, thus highlighting the quality of Murphy's efforts.

After four games where he had at least 20 disposals, in round 11 he had a season-high 26, and then followed up the next week with 25, before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a rough tackle by Robert Copeland of the Brisbane Lions. This may well have cost him the Rising Star, but he still capped off the year by winning the club's best first year player award, and being voted by his peers as the AFLPA Best First Year Player. Overall, he had averaged over 19 disposals a game in his first season before being injured, which put him in the top 10 at the club in Carlton’s Best and Fairest, an excellent effort for a debutante who played little more than half a season.

Season 2007 highlighted Murphy's courage and consistency, particularly after our notional #1 midfielder Nick Stevens succumbed to a neck injury in round three. As a result, Murphy often wore the opposition's best tagger, but was rarely subdued by them. From a season-high 30 disposals against eventual premiers Geelong in Round 2, to cracking 20 disposals on six occasions before round 19, Murphy averaged 17.6 disposals for the year. With occasional forays up forward, and the odd stint as a run-with player under new coach Brett Ratten, Murphy continued to grow in stature and provide long-suffering Carlton supporters with some welcome and much-needed optimism.

With the well-documented arrival of champion midfielder Chris Judd and the eventual return to top form of Nick Stevens, Murphy found a lot more of the ball in 2008. He picked up a Brownlow vote in the Round 7 victory over West Coast and had 32 disposals, 5 clearances, 2 goals, 4 tackles, 10 inside 50s and 6 running bounces in the Round 8 loss to Brisbane. He was best on ground in the Round 11 victory over Port Adelaide, picking up 33 disposals, 5 tackles and 9 inside 50s in what was the first game in his career where he'd poll 3 Brownlow votes. In the Round 12 victory over Collingwood; Murphy had 31 disposals (including 13 contested), 8 tackles, 4 clearances, 6 inside 50s and was awarded 2 Brownlow votes. His 50th game was one he'd rather forget, with the Blues going down to the Saints by 32 points. In the Round 16 match against Sydney, Murphy was one of the Blues' best, gathering 24 disposals, 10 contested possessions, 4 clearances and a goal. In the Round 17 win over the 2nd-placed Western Bulldogs, Murphy had 28 disposals, 10 contested possessions, 4 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 2 assists and a goal. He continued his good form into the following week's loss to Adelaide when he had 26 diposals, 7 clearances, 5 inside 50s and 2 assists. In the Round 19 victory over Port Adelaide, Murphy managed to play his fourth really good game in succession. He had 28 disposals at 86% efficiency, 5 clearances, 4 assists and was awarded a Brownlow vote. Round 20 saw Murphy continue his great run of form and he ended up with a team-high 29 disposals, 9 contested possessions, 5 clearances and 2 assists. In the record come-from-behind victory over Brisbane in Round 21, Murphy was instrumental with 27 disposals, 10 contested possessions, 4 clearances and 2 goals (the latter coming at a very crucial stage of the game) while picking up 2 Brownlow votes. Murphy finished off the season on a high with a career best tally of 36 disposals (at 81% efficiency), 13 contested possessions, 5 clearances and 3 assists in the loss to Hawthorn where he picked up another 2 Brownlow votes.

With the inclusion of Chris Judd and the return of Nick Stevens, Murphy was provided with more freedom and had an outstanding season. He finished with the second most kicks in the competition and was first at the club for disposals. He was rewarded for his outstanding season when he came runner-up in the club best and fairest. He later received 11 votes in the Brownlow Medal to be runner-up in Carlton voting again. He capped off his season by representing Australia in the International Rules Series where he kicked 4 overs to be the leading goalkicker on the ground in the first match and was among the best in the 2nd where he scored a 6-point goal.

Prior to the commencement of the 2009 Pre-Season, Murphy re-signed with the Blues for a further 3 years.

Murphy started 2009 in much the same way as his team did: with a bang. In a best on ground performance that was certain to make the rest of the competition take notice, he collected 28 disposals at 86% efficiency, 12 contested possessions, 6 tackles, 5 clearances and 2 goals while the Blues handed out an 83-point thrashing to the Tigers in front of almost 87,000 fans. He followed up in the following week's victory over Brisbane with 24 disposals at 88% efficiency and 3 goals. Round 6 saw Murphy ammass 31 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 9 clearances and 5 tackles. Round 7 saw Murphy continue his sensational form with 31 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 7 tackles, 4 clearances and a goal against Fremantle. Overall, a brilliant year and 30+ goals from Murphy not only demonstrated why we picked up but also made him Top 10 in the Brownlow for the first time in his career.

Murphy was recruited from the TAC Cup team, the Oakleigh Chargers. Previous to that, he played for Doncaster and Beverley Hills.

Milestones

50th Game: Round 15, 2008 vs St Kilda

Career Highlights

2006 AFL Rising Star Nominee
2006 AFLPA Best First Year Player
2006 Best First Year Player
2006 9th Best and Fairest
2007 Leadership Group
2007 Pre-Season Premiership Player
2008 2nd Best and Fairest
2008 International Rules Series
2009 2nd Best and Fairest

Links

Articles: Carlton's Top Tenners | That First Pick...Players taken with Carlton's first pick in the draft

YouTube: Marc Murphy Kicking Brilliance

Blueseum: Summary of playing stats for Marc Murphy | Career Breakdown | Murphy's Blueseum Image Gallery

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