Carlton says skipper Marc Murphy will thrive as the long-term Blues captain

CARLTON says Marc Murphy has already shown he will thrive as the long-term Blues captain despite a trying first year as the club's leader.

Carlton new leadership group. (L-R) Bryce Gibbs, Brock McLean, Marc Murphy, Kade Simpson, Andrew Carrazzo, Andrew Walker and Michael Jamison.

CARLTON says Marc Murphy has already shown he will thrive as the long-term Blues captain despite a trying first year as the club's leader.

The Blues yesterday named Murphy as captain in an eight-man leadership group, with Kade Simpson and Andrew Carrazzo his vice captains.

Michael Jamison is the club's deputy vice-captain, with Bryce Gibbs returning to the group and Andrew Walker, Brock McLean and Lachie Henderson rounding out the group.

Murphy's knee and a broken cheekbone severely limited his output last year, with the star Blue also battling to overcome taggers.

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But while he has promised to be more vocal, Carlton football manager Andrew McKay said he had already proved his worth.

It came as McKay warned Chris Judd was far from a spent force, optimistic this would not be his last season if his body held together.

"As far as leadership, it just grew and grew for him,'' said McKay of Murphy's first season in charge.

"The turning point for him was after the (Round 20) Western Bulldogs loss, Murph got the players together and really took charge. He continues to grow in that role.

"He has a really limited pre-season and it's just so hard to catch up these days, even for a senior player. You can play well once or twice, but it gets to you in the end.

"This year he has had a good pre-season and we are really looking forward to him playing well."

Jarrad Waite did not put himself up for the leadership group after being present last season, with the Blues cautiously optimistic about the injury-prone forward's pre-season.

Gibbs was famously chosen by Denis Pagan to be in the Blues leadership group in his first year, and is back after declining to nominate last year.

The Blues believe they have real leadership depth given former captain Judd and fellow veteran Heath Scotland also provide valuable guidance.

Judd was initially keen to delay his contract talks last year before signing a midyear deal for a one-season contract.

But McKay said 30-year-old star Judd was by no means playing in his final season of football.

"I wouldn't have thought so If he has a good year and the club is going well, it would be a brave decision not to go on. You wouldn't mean a more competitive person than Chris Judd. He under-states that a bit, but he is a very competitive guy with a lot of pride in his performance. He won't want to go out of the game playing at a lesser level than he expects, but if his body stays together, he will have a harder decision to make."