Carlton skipper Marc Murphy looked at ease with a cricket bat in hand as he had a hit with a dozen school children at the Northcote Indoor Sports Centre this week.
It was part of the Mac Pack program – the McDonald's sporting program for kids for which Murphy is an ambassador.
The 26-year-old revealed that at one point in his youth, he was leaning more towards a cricketing career, but says he has no regrets about pursuing AFL.
A big test looms for his team on Saturday night, the Blues facing a showdown with Essendon in a crunch game at the MCG.
Murphy says he hopes the team can recapture the form it found after quarter time against the Tigers last week.
"I think the boys showed great character coming back from where we were, being five goals down against a top five side in Richmond," Murphy said. "We can gain some great confidence in how we played, but it's all about how we respond and whether we can find that form again this week against Essendon."
Asked to assess his captaincy so far, Murphy admitted he's still learning, but said he has a great teacher in coach Mick Malthouse.
"He's been great for my development and also a lot of the boys as well," Murphy said. "He's definitely a player's coach and the boys are right behind Mick."
