Carlton captain Marc Murphy capped off another solid season by taking out second place in the John Nicholls Medal.

Murphy finished the count with 80 votes, behind Bryce Gibbs who finished with 109.

The skipper told MC Craig Willis that he always thought Gibbs would win.

“I thought Bryce was the runaway winner,” Murphy said.

“He had a fantastic year and it’s much deserved. He’s worked so hard and it’s great to see him finally get a best and fairest.”

This year is the third time Murphy has finished second in the count – he was also the runner-up in 2008 and 2009, finished third in 2010 and took out the award in 2011.

When addressing the gathering at Crown Palladium on Wednesday night, Murphy implored Carlton fans to stick with the team, because he believes it’s headed in the right direction.

“To all the fans, the supporters and members, (it was) a disappointing year obviously and the players feel it – we’re all hurting from our year,” Murphy said. “It’s so disappointing to watch at this time of year and not be a part of it.

“I think we’ve only got single figures of guys who are getting surgeries at the end of the year and that’s a great sign going forward.

“If you can get off to a really good start in the pre-season then (you can) look forward to a big 2015. I look forward to all your ongoing support next year and look forward to the journey.”