Rhys - 5:29 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
Hey Marc, Great game today! Just wondering how players such as Bryce and yourself can continue to have such a huge impact in games throughout every quarter, without fatigue. Are there any specific excersies to help with this Match Fitness?
Thanks, Rhys

Marc Murphy: Hi Rhys, thanks for the question. The game has changed so much even in the time that I have been playing. We are really fortunate to have Justin Cordy at Carlton. He heads up our Elite Performance Unit, and he has a large number of staff that work for him, whose responsibility it is to get the best out of each individual player. The EPU creates and monitors individual programs for every player, they are very detailed and it highlights the professionalism of football these days.

col saddington - 5:54 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
great game today marc. blues of old. do you think we need to stop slowing the game down by playing keepings off , in the last parts of the quarter and just keep attacking. which we are so good at.

Marc Murphy: Thanks Col. Reading through a lot of the questions posted this seems to be a bit of a common thread. Your right in saying that we believe we can play very good attacking footy when we play that way. But there are a number of reasons why we solely can’t just play that way. Slowing the game down is a very important area of today’s football. At different stages in games it is vital to be able to slow the opposition, but also when you play a taxing game of football, like we have done in numerous games this year, slowing the play down can also aid in our recovery allowing us to reload and really attack again. I understand why it can be frustrating for fans but it is an area of the game we need to get better at.

Blue Les - 6:04 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
Hi Marc,
Well done to you and the boys today. We played really well in patches but why do we go for the time wasting tactics. Do the boys know that we almost always concede goals when we try to slow the game down?

Marc Murphy: Thanks Blue Les, similar to the question above, but I like to look at it this way. If we really want to become an elite team in the competition we are going to have to have confidence to slow the game down where appropriate, you can’t learn to do that overnight. We need to make sure that this style of play will hold us in good stead going forward.  Last year we didn’t slow games down that much throughout the year, and who knows if we had the confidence to do it last year that tactic may have been employed in our final against Brisbane, and it may have helped us win the game. That’s not a criticism of anyone, that’s the reality of a team growing. The big picture is that we are still a developing team, as yet we don’t have all the tricks that the elite teams in the competition have and we need to keep learning and implement things to allow us to get to that level.

Evan Grant - 6:06 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
Hey marc good to get a win i thought you played very well and great lil snap goal.
I thought that andrews return was spectacular i was nervous thinking he might come back shacky but instead picked up where he left off playing the cats he is playing with so much confidence showing us all why he is a high draft pick what are your thoughts on andrews year so far. Thanks murph

Marc Murphy: G’day Evan, thanks for that. It was great to have Walks back in the team. I really think he has taken the next step as a player and that was why it was so disappointing to see him get injured a few weeks back. The way Walks applied himself while he was out injured was terrific. He is an extremely important player for us and it’s great to have him back.

Zannii - 6:16 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
HI Marc...great game today & sensational goal. With the backline being strengthened by the return of Walker, Bower & Waite, Will we see Brett Thorton up forward more often as another option? The improvement in Lachie Henderson last few weeks has been fantastic. Is it enough to keep him in this side?

Marc Murphy: Thanks Zannii, I think Lachie has done a fantastic job, I think people forget how young he is, and speaking to him after the game, he told me that it was his first time playing under the roof at Etihad. Some may fall into the trap of thinking that he is a more experienced player than he actually is, if he keeps developing the way he is he will be an extremely important player for us going forward. The backline will be strengthened in the coming weeks and I suppose it gives us the option to play players up the ground, so it might be a possibility.

 
Em - 6:33 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
Hi Marc,
You r an amzing player and i love watching u play! How would u rate carlton's performance today against other games this season? Also how do you feel you r playing this season, as in your fitness levels? I think u r playing amazing by the way. xo

Marc Murphy: Thanks Em, I thought yesterday’s game was just ok. We were pretty disappointed that we didn’t take our opportunities and really kick away with it, in fact we allowed the Eagles to get back into the game. We will certainly think we can play much better footy than that.

 peter - 6:41 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
hi marc do you think todays performance will be good enough to beat melbourne next week i just think you guys might have to play against melb like you did against stkilda and geelong do u agree

Marc Murphy: Hi Peter, Melbourne are a much improved side and we will need to play better than we did yesterday to get over the line against the Dees. We played our best footy for the year against St Kilda and Geelong, so hopefully we can play like that this week.

 Greg Henderson - 6:48 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
Hey Murph great game mate well done to you and the boys. My question is, do you have any conserns over the fact that you pumped them in the disposal count but only won by 29 points, something to worry about i think.

Marc Murphy: Thanks Greg, yes and no. I think we probably should have won by a greater margin. We went away from the things we were doing well in stages throughout the game, it always felt as if the game was under control but in saying that we were disappointed that we didn’t kick away with it. I think that challenge will come next time we are in a similar position in a game and hopefully we play the game out better.

Nic - 7:10 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
Gday Murph,
Congratulations on the win and a great individual performance. I was at the game and thought it was great to see a couple of the boys who dont always get the recognition the stars like yourself, Juddy and Gibbs get stand up today. I thought Jeff Gartlett stood up with all his pressure and Walks and Joe Anderson had solid performances. I was also wondering why we didn't press as hard in the 4th quarter as I think it will be important to put 4 solid quarters together against the top teams.

Marc Murphy: I agree Nic, Jeff couldn’t have done anymore out there. He played a fantastic game for a small forward. Walks coming back from injury certainly got a lot of the ball and it would have boosted his confidence. Finally I really liked Joey’s game, he plays his role really well and you always know what you are going to get with him, as a player you like having him out there next to you.

Matt - 7:49 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
Hi Murph,
I honestly can not split you, Gibbsy and Matty Kreuzer as number one picks. You each play a different type of game that helps the team in all soughts ways.
Are the 3 of you competitive, in a joking way as to who is the better number 1 pick?
Personally I think you are all sensational and dont like to compare you all as you are all different players.

Marc Murphy:  Matt, we aren’t as competitive as our small forwards! I really respect Bryce and Matty, I suppose when you go through as a number one pick there are a heap of commitments that go with it, it also carries extra pressure. The way both boys have conducted themselves is a credit to them, there is a close bond between us and really enjoy playing footy with the two of them.

ashley. - 10:35 PM Sunday, 30 May 2010
hey marc.
great win today and great goal.
i was wondering how do you prepare yourself before a game such as sleeping the night before and the foods you eat before you play?
go blues :)

Marc Murphy: Hi Ashley. The night before a game I like to watch a movie, I try and avoid watch the footy that night. I always have a mean spaghetti bolognaise the night before a game and I make sure I get to bed early. 

Ceri - 8:12 AM Monday, 31 May 2010
Hey Murph, just wondering if it feels strange playing against Josh Kennedy after starting at the club at similar times? You played a great game, good luck for the rest of the season.
Ceri xxx

Marc Murphy:  Hi Ceri, it does a little bit. Josh is a fantastic person and again is someone that I respect. We have played against him a few times now so you tend to be over that ex-teammate feeling. He is playing some great footy and I am sure he is only going to get better.

ALL YOUR QUESTIONS
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NEXT WEEK
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