MARC Murphy will play his 300th and final game this weekend when he runs out against Port Adelaide.
Being a solid contributor to the Club since 2006, Murphy is a Carlton player through and through, with his commitment and dedication never questioned.
On reaching the 300 game milestone, the veteran admitted it felt humbling to have his names alongside such great Navy Blue legends as John Nicholls, Bruce Doull, Craig Bradley, Stephen Silvagni and Kade Simpson.
“When you look at the names who have played 300 games for the football club, it’s pretty humbling,” Murphy said.
“The Club is a really special place in my heart and to be able to play 300 games at the footy club is awesome and my family is really proud.”
Murphy’s father and grandfather both played their fair share of football, with father John managing 214 games for Fitzroy before moving to South Melbourne.
Murphy noted that his ‘old man’s’ advice rang true in his ears after getting drafted.
“One thing my old man said to me when I was drafted to Carlton, ‘make sure you’re a one club player’, because he regretted when he left Fitzroy, so that was something that stuck in my mind,” he said.
“The friendships and the bonds I’ve been able to create with past players, hearing from legends from the Club and what it means to be a Carlton player and how much they’ve backed me in has meant a lot as well.”
The 34 year old has quite the accolade list over his 16 year career, including winning two John Nicholls medals and being selected for the All-Australian squad, as well as captaining the Blues for five years.
While he may not have a premiership medal under his belt, he was unconcerned with the direction of the side, believing that they will be reaching the Grand Final soon.
“I would have loved to have won a premiership and had some success at this football club, but unfortunately that’s not part of my story,” he said.
“I know there’s a lot of premiership players downstairs at this footy club, pretty soon I’ll be watching as a supporter and lapping it up hopefully.”
In terms of the successes Murphy did have, he pinpointed two finals at the MCG as his best career memories at Carlton.
“The two that are really vivid in my memory, the finals I’ve played at the ‘G against Essendon and Richmond, they were two winning finals and I can remember a lot of things that occurred in those games and some of those feelings are still really fresh,” he said.
“I guess that’s what you work hard for, playing finals on a big stage, wearing the Navy Blue jumper, especially against Essendon, my first final at the ‘G and having the whole Southern Stand singing the Carlton theme song in the last quarter was something that was really special.”
While Murphy will always have a passion for football, he is interested in chasing other pursuits outside of the game before returning in any capacity.
“I think I’ll try my hand outside of football initially and test something different, a new challenge,” he said.
“I love the game, if something opens up in football that I feel really passionate about, then I’ll look at it. I still have passion for the game but I also want to challenge myself in different areas outside football.”
