HIS 33rd birthday may not have ended the way he would’ve liked, but Sunday afternoon at the Gabba marked another milestone for one of Carlton’s favourite sons.

Marc Murphy officially qualified for AFL Life Membership, having played 300 official games: 275 premiership matches, 23 pre-season games and two International Rules performances.

It’s been a long journey for Murphy, ever since he arrived at Carlton as an 18-year-old back in 2005.

Now, he’s a father, a husband, a former captain of the football club and a two-time John Nicholls Medal winner: but he’s not willing to give up hope of the ultimate dream just yet.

“We’re on the right track: ‘Crippa’ said there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, now the tunnel is a bit shorter,” Murphy said in the latest edition of Spotlight.

“Having a few injuries over the journey and being able to get through that, to still be playing and contributing is something I’m really proud of.”

As someone who’s grown up in football, Murphy has rediscovered the spark in recent seasons, crediting Senior Coach David Teague for telling his players to embrace the enjoyment.

Patrick Cripps paid credit to his predecessor, saying Murphy was one of the players he loved to watch immediately prior to being drafted to Carlton back in 2013.

When it comes down to it, Murphy said he was exactly the same.

“The blokes rarely share too much about life and how they feel about each other, but it’s good to hear that,” he said.

“When ‘Crippa’ was talking about when he was a kid and watching me and ‘Juddy’ play, I was the same when I was 15 or 16 and I would strap my wrists because ‘Juddy’ would strap his wrists.

“When you watch guys from afar, it’s pretty cool and it’s pretty cool to hear that ‘Crippa’ was like that for me.”

Looking back, Murphy said the key message he would relay to his younger self was about embracing and enjoying the moment he’s in.

For so long, Murphy said he was constantly focused on “looking ahead at what’s next”.

“There’s been a few ups and downs over the journey: I think staying in the present is something I’ve learnt,” he said.

“It’s so important to enjoy what you’re doing in the present: that’s something I’ve only started to grasp over the last couple of years.”

Murphy received a message from wife Jessie and son Max back at home, with the current predicament meaning Murphy was celebrating his 33rd birthday away from family.

He was quick to mention his son when mentioning the key positive surrounding his newfound AFL Life Membership.

“It’s the longest I’ve been away from Max, two weeks into being here and out of Melbourne. They’re coming up soon and have to quarantine, so I’m three or four weeks from seeing them,” he said.

“They sent me a message yesterday that ‘Teaguey’ showed in the team meeting, which was really nice.

“The one thing my old man said to me was now I get two Grand Final tickets for the rest of my life to go take Max to the footy. That’ll be good fun.”

Carlton members: look in your inbox for a behind-the-scenes first look at the latest edition of Spotlight on Murphy's milestone game.

The full video will be available to the wider public on carltonfc.com.au tomorrow.