Marc Murphy reveals why he decided to stay at Carlton despite interest from rival clubs

Marc Murphy had interest from several rival clubs to leave Carlton at the end of last year but in the end there were a couple of things he realised could never do, and that’s when he called coach Brendon Bolton to tell him he was staying a Blue.

It was the emotional phone call that delivered one of the biggest validations in Carlton coach Brendon Bolton’s tenure and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

In the middle of a nine-game losing streak last year, veteran Marc Murphy was wrestling with a significant decision.

To stay and commit to a club that had been home for almost half his life, but one that still looked a long way off playing in a finals series again.

Or leave in the hope of chasing late career silverware at one of the rival clubs his manager Paul Connors had been fielding interest from, most notably perennial finalist Geelong.

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Murphy had been reluctant to meet opposition clubs or rival coaches which Connors said he would have to do if he wanted to pursue the latter option.

That was the rub. He couldn’t do it.

So instead of seeking a potential chat with Cats coach Chris Scott, it led to Murphy keying Bolton’s mobile number into his phone as the first call he made after he decided to commit to another two years with the Blues.

“I think ‘Bolts’ was having a tough week (at the time); we didn’t have a great year, so most weekends were pretty tough,” Murphy told the Sunday Herald Sun.

Marc Murphy with son, Max, at Ikon Park. Picture: David Caird

“He (Bolton) was pretty pumped … he was rapt when I told him I was staying.

“I just called him to ease his mind. It was just to tell him that I was believing in what he had done for the club and where we were going.

“I had been speaking with our list managers (about the club’s direction) and they were buoyed that I believed in the list, which I most certainly do.”

Nine months on, and with Murphy gearing up to become only the 13th Carlton player to reach the 250-game milestone on Thursday week in the season-opener against Richmond, he couldn’t be happier with his decision.

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Or more convinced that the pathway the Blues are on now can be a fast-track to the finals once more.

The 31-year-old saw enough of that potential across the summer — and in the JLT Community Series win over Essendon — to suggest the club will be a far more competitive force this season.

He will be out there again when Carlton takes on Collingwood at Morwell on Monday night.

Murphy is as fit as ever heading into season 2019. Picture: Sarah Matray

The thought of a fresh start at a new club right in the premiership window might have been tempting, but when push came to shove, the ties that have bound him to the Blues since he shunned father-son options at Brisbane in favour of a No.1 draft selection by Carlton in 2005 meant he couldn’t just walk away.

“It was actually when it started to get to the point where he (Connors) said ‘If we are going to take this further, you are going to have to start speaking with clubs’,” Murphy said. “That didn’t sit well with me.

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“It sort of made me feel a bit sick in the guts, not (only) abandoning the footy club, but abandoning guys who I had played a lot of footy with.

“Guys like ‘Simmo’ (Kade Simpson) and ‘Kreuze’ (Matthew Kreuzer), and not just them, I’m also talking about guys like ‘Sammo’ (Sam Petrevski-Seton), and others who I have invested a lot of time in over the years.

“It would have felt like a waste.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision to stay in the end. I had to think about what I wanted to get out of the next part of my career, and what was important to me.

Murphy enjoys playing alongside and working with veterans like Kade Simpson as much as he does young guns like Sam Petrevski-Seton. Picture: Getty

“If I only had a year it might have been different, but I think I’ve got three-to-four (years to play), and I believe with the talent we’ve got here, we can get to where we need to.”

Oddly enough, the more the option of leaving was on the table in the first half of last year, the more he was drawn back to Carlton.

“Your family is obviously No.1, and the footy club becomes a part of your family,” Murphy said as his 14-month-old son Max wandered through the club’s cafe with an oversized football clutched in his hands.

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“There have been lifelong friendships formed here. I’ve grown up here; I’ve matured here.

“I was a 74kg kid coming in. To be honest, I’ve only put on four or five kilos more than that, but the club has become a part of who I am.”

Murphy’s decision to relinquish the captaincy to Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty was 12 months in the making, after some long range discussions with Bolton. But he felt so strongly about the group that he wanted to stay part of the leadership group.

Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty are Carlton’s co-captains for 2019, taking over from Murphy.

Body-wise, he is feeling as good as he was two years ago when he won the Blues’ 2017 best-and-fairest, and he has not missed a scheduled training session. That’s good news for the club, given he could only manage 13 games last year, due to a plantar fascia injury.

He said the club was working hard on the chemistry within the group, especially with the recent recruitment of experienced players — Mitch McGovern, Will Setterfield, Nic Newman and Alex Fasolo — plus bright new talent — including No.1 draft pick Sam Walsh, Liam Stocker, Ben Silvagni and Finbar O’Dwyer.

“We’ve started to realise over the last couple of years the more investment you have off the field the better it is,” he said. “That’s just being social with each other, and trying to make these guys grow as much as you can by going through vision with them, and trying to make them think as much as they can.”

An upset win over the Tigers in Round 1 would provide Murphy with his 100th career win.

He has played only six finals in that time, and desperately craves more in the future.

Murphy has only played in 99 wins in his career but is hoping that number will skyrocket soon. Picture: Michael Klein

“We have had a couple of years where we were pretty exciting as a football club,” Murphy said. “I thought in 2011 we were pretty close. We had ‘Kreuze’ and Bryce Gibbs go down with injuries in the lead-up to that finals series and to lose by a couple of points (three) to West Coast (in a semi-final) over there, it could have gone either way.”

While he won’t put a time frame on how quickly the Blues can turn their fortunes around, he has little doubt some of the players at the club now will be among those who play in Carlton’s next premiership side.

It’s just a question of whether he will still be there when that happens.

“There is no set formula (for a team to have the ultimate success) and it can happen in the space of 18 months,” he said.

“But there is no point looking too far ahead for me. I’m just worrying about day-to-day stuff, trying to build relationships and trying to help build a strong culture.

“I have no doubt the majority of the list here can be premiership players of flag No.17 here.

“If I miss that, so be it. It is not about me, it is about the footy club, and I hope to play some part in getting these guys where they want to go.”

CARLTON’S GAMES RECORD HOLDERS

375 Craig Bradley (1986-2002)

356 Bruce Doull (1969-86)

328 John Nicholls (1957-74)

312 Stephen Silvagni (1985-2001)

307* Kade Simpson (2003-)

287 Justin Madden (1983-96)

278 Anthony Koutoufides (1992-2007)

268 Geoff Southby (1971-84)

263 David McKay (1969-81)

256 Alex Jesaulenko (1967-79)

255 Brett Ratten (1990-2003)

251 Stephen Kernahan (1986-97)

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249* Marc Murphy (2006-)

249 Percy Jones (1966-79)

*Still playing.