Moneyball: Marc Murphy to play on with Carlton in 2021
Former Carlton captain Marc Murphy will play on next year after agreeing to a new deal, while GWS has provided an update on free agent Zac Williams. Get the latest trade news here.
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Former Carlton captain Marc Murphy has officially extended his contract with the Blues into 2021.
The Herald Sun understands Murphy will play on into a 16th season despite recently turning 33 after another solid season with Carlton.
It puts Murphy on target for 300 games, having played his 282nd contest in the deflating loss to Greater Western Sydney on Thursday night.
Murphy has played 14 games this season averaging 85 ranking points, 19.4 disposals, 2.6 clearances and four score involvements.
His 28-possession, 11-score involvement display against Gold Coast in hot and sweaty Darwin conditions last month showed how much he still has to give at the club.
Murphy decided against following the overtures from Geelong two seasons ago and instead signed a two-year deal with the Blues.
Carlton still needs to make decisions on Eddie Betts, Kade Simpson and Matthew Kreuzer in the off-season.
Betts seems likely to play on into 2021 but his zero-goal, eight-possession game against GWS was his fifth goalless contest in his past seven games.
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Murphy told the Herald Sun during the COVID shutdown he knew he had made the right decision to stay, even when Geelong pushed deep into September against last year.
“Not really, to be honest. I just knew in my gut it was the right call to stay at Carlton. I never even met with Geelong. I knew they were keen to have a chat with me and even thinking about a chat with them didn’t sit well with me. I could see how we could improve quickly.
“I really believe in our list. The guys down there were hard workers and wanted to win games of footy.
“If I had one year of footy left in me at that time who knows what would have happened but I still believed I had three or four years left in me at that point.I wanted to play my footy at Carlton and play finals at Carlton and be successful here, and that was basically the crux of my call.”
MUMFORD NOTCHES UP DOUBLE MILESTONE
GWS Giants could be tough to beat in 15 years’ time, if the amount of development they’re pouring into the club’s first ever father-son prospects is anything to go by.
Shane Mumford will celebrate his 200th AFL match, and 100th for GWS on Thursday night, and in the process anointed sons Ollie, 3, and Theo, 2, as the future of the Giants.
Social distancing has been paramount inside the AFL hubs, but nothing has been able to stop Ollie from crashing and bashing into other children at the GWS bubble at Sanctuary Cove, much like his father has done to his opponents over the course of a remarkable career which has included a Rocky-like comeback from retirement two years ago.
Mumford and Sons still has a long way to play out, but 34-year-old dad – one of the game’s most rough and tumble ruckmen – already has some thoughts on how the Giants should use a key pick in the looming 2035 draft.
“Who knows, in 15 years’ time, hopefully the Giants will be calling out his name and he’ll get a chance to play as a key forward, because I certainly won’t be letting him play in the ruck,” said Mumford.
“The boys are going to be big boys. I think that’s the only reason the club is playing me at the moment, isn’t it?
“My eldest, Ollie, always has a footy in his hand and kicks better off both feet than I do.
“I don’t think he’s stopped tackling all the older kids where we are at the moment, Sanctuary Cove. They’ve got a footy out most days.
“He’s hanging off the bigger, older kids. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty.”
Mumford started at Geelong and was a premiership winner at the Sydney Swans before the Lance Franklin arrival in NSW forced him across the ANZAC Bridge to the Giants.
The veteran big man has been a key pillar in helping the young Giants mature into AFL premiership contenders, and he came up with a key play in last year’s preliminary final to deliver GWS into a maiden Grand Final.
That’s two years after he’d called time on a busted body and hung the boots up, never to play again.
“If you told me two years ago when I retired that I’d be playing a 200th game, I would have said you were crazy,” said Mumford.
“But it’s obviously a great achievement to finally get there.”
And it’s not necessarily coming to an end just yet.
“I’ve always said I will wait until the end of the season, then assess from there. I love doing what I’m doing, and if my body is up for it then there is no reason why I wouldn‘t try to go
around again next year,” said Mumford.
“We’ll wait and see how it is at the end of the season.”
GIANTS LOCK IN CAMERON EXTENSION
Leon Cameron’s future at GWS has been officially confirmed, with the Giants coach signing a two-year contract extension.
Last year’s Grand Final coach has been stalked by months of speculation, after the COVID-19 contract freeze stopped him from having his new deal officially ratified by the AFL.
The Giants’ indifferent form on the field led many to question whether Cameron might end up being stuck in no-man’s land.
However, GWS boss David Matthews was insistent from the start that a deal was a deal, and the Giants have been true to their word with a new deal now officially inked.
GWS are still no certainties for finals football, but destiny is in their own hands after a strong win last week against Fremantle.
Cameron has one of the best records of any coach in the competition outside of premiership winners – having qualified and won finals matches over the past four years, including last year’s fairytale Grand Final appearance.
The Giants have said all along that the delay was down to trying to work out other staff around him in the AFL’s reduced soft cap – but a deal was finally signed off on Tuesday night.
Cameron has said publicly he was never stressed about the situation.
GIANTS CONFIDENT VIC OFFERS WON’T SWAY ZAC
A Grand Final Giant is facing the prospect of being squeezed out of GWS as the club gets the cheque book out for superstars Jeremy Cameron and Zac Williams.
Goal-kicking forward Jeremy Finlayson is off contract and in the firing line to be traded to help make space to keep Williams, who it’s understood has an offer in front of him from GWS.
Despite swirling speculation about Williams’ future, coach Leon Cameron declared his confidence on Monday that Williams would remain a “Giant for life”, while Coleman Medal winner Jeremy Cameron is expected to stay at GWS on a big-money deal.
Finlayson is vulnerable to being forced out after being dropped a fortnight ago for young star Jake Riccardi, who has grabbed his opportunity in the AFL by the horns.
There is a feeling at the Giants that the forward line combination of Jeremy Cameron, Harry Himmelberg and Jeremy Finlayson has a clear weakness in that none of them are pressure forwards – and Finlayson could be the one left looking for another club, after the Giants also tried to trade him last year.
Williams is a free agent and has been strongly linked to a raft of Victorian clubs including Carlton and North Melbourne after reportedly rejecting the Giants’ offer of a five-year deal earlier in the season. Some fear GWS won’t be able to financially match reported offers of upwards of $700,000.
The Giants have a contract offer in front of Williams and Cameron is confident one of the club’s heart and soul players will stay.
“I think our club is in a good position, I mean we’re having some really good dialogue with Zac,” Cameron told SEN.
“We’ve been in these positions most years since I have been the coach. There’s always one or two or three players that are out of contract and are heavily targeted by clubs all over Australia.
“That’s where it has been for our footy club and we know that, but we’ve done a wonderful job in securing the players that we really want to keep.
“There’s no different with Zac, he’s a rookie from eight years ago when Kevin Sheedy spotted him and brought him into our footy club.
“We have loved every minute since he has arrived and he’s a much valued player and we are confident he is going to be a Giant for life.
“We understand there is going to be some speculation until that is done, but it’s nothing new that we sort of deal with every year.”
GWS will take on Carlton on Thursday night on the Gold Coast.
The Giants are ninth on the ladder and next face Carlton at Metricon Stadium on Thursday night.
Cameron ruled star Josh Kelly out of the Blues game after he suffered concussion following a nasty collision with teammate Shane Mumford last Saturday.
COCKATOO COULD EXPLORE OPTIONS AFTER TOUGH YEAR
Geelong’s Nakia Cockatoo shapes as one of the most fascinating trade prospects at season’s end.
The linebreaking midfielder has endured a torrid battle with various soft tissue and knee injuries and hasn’t played since consecutive games in Rounds 2 and 3 in 2018.
He was expected to break through this year but is yet to make a senior appearance in 2020.
While the club is hopeful the 23-year-old has finally got on top of his injury issues, he is out of contract and could explore opportunities at rival clubs.
Especially if there is some longer-term security on the table for a man who has played just 34 games in six years.
The No. 10 draft pick looms as an enticing prospect for the Brisbane Lions given they were able to turn around Lincoln McCarthy’s injury issues after a tough time at the Cattery.
The Lions are set for an active trade period with some room in their salary cap.
Ideally, Cockatoo will get a taste of senior action in the run to the finals.
SUNS LOCK AWAY ANOTHER YOUNG GUN
Noah Anderson says Gold Coast’s elite group of kids are determined to stay together to achieve something special after signing a two-year contract extension.
The Herald Sun can reveal Rising Star contender Anderson has committed to the club through to 2023, following best mate and housemate Matt Rowell’s recent signing.
Anderson added two years to his initial extension and said the decision was easy given how tight-knit the Suns group were.
“It’s nice (to get it done). We kind of spoke about it earlier in the year and I never had any doubt I wanted to go any other way,” he said.
“I feel really comfortable here and it was a matter of the coronavirus and getting through all that and the paperwork finally being signed.
“It’s pretty reassuring. I can focus on getting the most out of myself and the next few years here and what we can do as a group.
“It’s pretty exciting, we have a pretty big core group of players who have signed on. We know we have a group that is capable.
“We are pretty close and we feel like we all just know.
“We realise we can build something here and we have a huge amount of trust that we will do the right things.
“And we have trust with this young group and coaching staff and the direction we wanted to head in.”
The Suns have had a perfect chance in 2020 to show rival players the Gold Coast lifestyle, which has led to some player managers already contacting the AFL club about a potential shift.
“I think the benefit of coronavirus has been that teams have played here and seen what life is like on the Gold Coast,” Anderson said.
“I have got mates up here in different teams and they have texted me saying, ‘Far out, I didn’t know how nice it was up here. This is the lifestyle’.
“I have got a few good mates up here already, and we play golf or relax at the beach, just go for a swim. We find little things to do and just hang out really, it doesn’t matter what we are doing.”
Only a season into his career he did stop short of declaring himself a one-club player.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead, but this has exceeded expectations,” he said,
“I have had a few conversations with the first-year boys and it’s almost like we get two seasons.
“One with no crowds and then next year with crowds, so it will definitely be pretty cool running out to a full stadium but the support on the Gold Coast has been really good and we have had a fair few fans to our games to support us.”
400 WITHIN PENDLES’ REACH: SHAW
Collingwood great Tony Shaw says the club’s current captain might set a benchmark no other Magpie will ever reach.
Shaw is preparing to give up the club’s games record to Scott Pendlebury next month, but says there is no reason Pendlebury won’t reach rarefied air given his extraordinary durability.
Pendlebury will play his 311th AFL match against Carlton on Sunday.
He is scheduled to draw level with Shaw in the penultimate round against Gold Coast before potentially claiming the Magpies‘ record outright in the last round against Port Adelaide.
Shaw said he expects the 32-year-old to play on well beyond the end of his current deal, which expires at the end of next season.
“I don’t think anyone will be catching him,” Shaw told Sport Insider on Friday.
He said Pendlebury’s durability over the years and his capacity to transition as a more permanent forward later in this career could potentially see the five-time Copeland Trophy winner push close to the 400-game mark.
“There is a long way to 400 games, we don’t know what’s happening next week let alone in four or five years,” Shaw joked.
“But you wouldn’t say it is beyond him.
“He‘s got 80-odd games to go, and that’s another four years, but the way he goes about it, he’s not without a chance.
“They don’t catch him very often. It is only if he runs into some soft tissue injuries, but he hasn’t really looked like slowing down.”
Shaw has held the record since 1994 when he surpassed Collingwood legend Gordon Coventry’s 306 games, before he finished on 313 in a qualifying final loss to West Coast.
He isn’t worried about handing over the record. His only gripe is that the coronavirus pandemic will likely stop Shaw from attending Pendlebury’s milestone game.
“I am dirty on it,” Shaw said.
“It looks like I won‘t be able to be there. I would have loved to have been there when he did it.”
But he is planning to send a message to Pendlebury in the Queensland hub, as he knows the significance of the achievement.
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HOGAN SEE FUTURE AT DOCKERS
Fremantle has assured Jesse Hogan he is still in their selection plans after an aborted stint in defence.
The Dockers haven’t played $600,000 man Hogan in their team since Round 5 as he battles form and fitness amid speculation rivals might be interested in a player who looked a star of the future until off-season issues reared their head.
But Hogan is happy at Fremantle and keen to do anything to break back into the senior side.
He was trialled for two weeks as a backman but, by his own admission and those around him, was horrible.
Now back in the scratch match sides as a forward he has been told he is a chance for a recall despite Matt Taberner’s commanding form as a tall forward.
Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd said this week rival clubs would steer clear of Hogan, contracted until 2021, given he hadn’t shown he was durable enough yet for AFL football.
The Dockers have already moved on Cam McCarthy and Jason Carter this year in early contract releases.
The Herald Sun understands rookies Dillon O‘Reilly, son of 146-gamer Stephen, and Isaiah Butters have also been told the club won’t go with them next year.
BOMBERS ON THE OUTER
There will be movement on Essendon’s list as the Bombers endeavour to re-sign Joe Daniher, future captain Andrew McGrath and speedy defender Adam Saad.
The Herald Sun revealed on Thursday the Bombers had launched into preliminary discussions with Daniher’s manager (Nigel Carmody from TLA) on a new deal, although the forward has not yet made a decision on his future.
But the futures of speedster Conor McKenna and utility Jayden Laverde are less certain at Tullamarine.
Brisbane had a crack at McKenna last year, while St Kilda was keen on Laverde two years ago.
Laverde has had a tough battle with injuries over the journey and has been on the fringes of selection.
Gold Coast’s Peter Wright is available as a cheap ruck-key forward prospect who could form a tandem with Sam Draper next year.
Calder product Wright has not played all season at the Suns and has been emphatically leapfrogged by Ben King this year.
Ruckman Tom Bellchambers is out of contract and could wind up this year.
CATS PICKS UP FOR GRABS
It’s the year to wheel and deal draft picks at Geelong.
The Cats are holding three first-round draft picks which will all fall between selections 10-20 based on the current ladder.
It is a strong position, but this is a tricky year to have a stockpile of first round-picks.
Recruiters will be making their big calls on Victorian products largely based on their performance and development last year.
It makes the draft calls on Victorian players less certain and more than a few South Australian and West Australian kids will surge up the ladder because their leagues have been able to resume.
The players who have been able to play in the past few months clearly have more concrete form.
In any case, expect the Cats to move some of their picks around in this year’s draft.
Currently they have pick No. 11 from Gold Coast (special assistance), West Coast’s first pick (for Tim Kelly) plus their own (currently pick No. 15).
Geelong could swap out one of these late first-round picks for an earlier future pick in next year’s draft when the NAB League, hopefully, resumes as an 19-year-old competition.
That would help minimise some of the risk currently attached with Geelong holding so many early selections in a heavily compromised year.
Alternatively, Geelong could pair up some of its selections to try to secure a top-five key forward prospect such as West Australian Logan McDonald.
Recruiters said this week it was a good year to be holding later selections in this year’s draft because of the unpredictability and uncertainty that surrounds the players after almost a year out of the game.
Hawthorn will nab exciting academy prospect Connor Downie who had an excellent 2019 year and has been likened to Isaac Smith.
Western Bulldogs could get the No. 1 talent on the country as a discounted academy selection when they nab electric key forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
SUNS APPEAL
Gold Coast has had players approaching it about moving to the club after loving their time in the Queensland hubs.
Now after the sand-and-sun seduction, Gold Coast has to work out if the players are fair dinkum or not.
Gold Coast is a spectacular position to shore up its list with Northern Territory halfback Joel Jeffrey a player they can list without using a pick given they have been given that zone.
One AFL recruiter called it a “gift” to the Gold Coast, with the son of former St Kilda and Brisbane player Russell Jeffrey having spent time with the club again last week.
Cairns-based 191cm midfielder Alex Davies is another first-round pick they will secure for free given their zone allowances.
They also have their first-round pick, having traded this year’s mid first-rounder (pick 11) to the Cats for Jeremy Sharp, who has made his debut.
Originally published as Moneyball: Marc Murphy to play on with Carlton in 2021