AFL Concussion: Collingwood premiership star Nathan Murphy announces retirement

Collingwood signed Nathan Murphy to a contract extension despite knowing he was unlikely to play out the deal, it can be revealed. JON RALPH has details of the Pies’ sacrifice.

Nathan Murphy presser Picture: Supplied

Collingwood made the extraordinary decision to hand Nathan Murphy an extra season on his contract over summer so he could make a call on returning to football with his future financially secure.

Murphy was medically retired by an AFL concussion panel on Saturday after at least 10 head knocks and concussions across his 57-game, seven-year premiership career.

This masthead understands the Pies awarded him that extra season – through to the end of 2025 – in the full knowledge he was unlikely to play out that deal.

Collingwood knew he had to make the decision on his own but was aware another concussion would inevitably spell the end of his career if he did return to football.

He will walk away paid out in full by the Pies with a financial package of around $1 million taking in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

As he pondered his future across summer after being medically cleared by an AFL panel in December, the club wanted to reward him for his premiership service given he was only contracted to the end of 2024.

They also knew having that financial security would make a decision on returning to football simpler.

Rather than play on to try to shore up his financial future but risk his long-term health, he could make that decision on retirement safe in the knowledge he would be able to walk away with that seven-figure amount.

Nathan Murphy speaking to the media while announcing his retirement from concussion. Picture: Supplied

Murphy was finally retired by the AFL medical panel made up of neurological experts on Saturday even as his brain scans continued to come up with no damage or deterioration.

He told the panel he could not come to the decision to return to football and they ultimately ruled that after his history of head knocks they would rule him medically retired.

Had he retired without that medical status the Pies might have not been able to exempt his 2025 wage from their salary cap.

But they were prepared to take that risk to ensure he was not going to suffer financially if he walked away.

Collingwood is also determined to look after its players as they exit the club under coach Craig McRae, chief executive Craig Kelly and president Jeff Brown.

Sydney had to push hard to secure an exemption for Paddy McCartin’s 2025 salary when he was medically retired last year because of repeated concussions but eventually won that battle with the AFL.

So Collingwood (Murphy) and Melbourne (Angus Brayshaw) have an established precedent as the league puts in place a set of specific rules about salary cap exemptions for medically retired players.

Murphy, 24, had initially been cleared by the AFL in December to return to play but copped a pre-season knock in training that caused him to reconsider if he was ready to return to the field.

As a retiring player he has three options to shore up his financial future as part of the AFL’s processes.

Nathan Murphy has spoken to Demons premiership player Angus Brayshaw, who also retired due to concussion earlier this year. Picture: Michael Klein

He can accept his payout from the Pies, he can secure a football-ending payout as part of the AFLPA’s injury and hardship fund and he could have insurance which allows him to claim money as part of his retirement.

AFL players are increasingly seeking out individual coverage which protects them in the case of career-ending concussions.

Murphy’s manager Liam Pickering said he had been well looked after by Collingwood, the AFL and the AFL Players Association, and would be paid out in full on his contract which runs through until the end of next year.

“He will be well looked after,” he said.

“He will continue to get as much support as he can off the field. He is a great young bloke, it is a pity he couldn’t play another seven or eight or ten years or however long it many have been. But unfortunately we know it is a serious issue, concussion , so that was the decision the panel made.”

Collingwood will assess whether it takes a pick in the upcoming mid-season draft on May 29 but like most clubs believe that pool of talent is modest.

The Pies secured VFL player Josh Eyre over summer despite a hamstring tendon injury that will have him out for 3-5 more weeks, likely with an eye on replacing Murphy if he did retire.

Collingwood will have vast cap space of up to $4 million by the end of 2024 but there are few key position players on the market who could instantly slot into the Pies defence.

Jeremy Howe, 33, is also keen to play on as a key back and has a 16-game clause in his contract that would see him automatically handed a new deal if he reached that trigger.

Drafted at pick 39 in the 2017 national draft, Murphy ends his career having played 57 games.

He polled one Brownlow Medal vote and kicked one AFL goal during his time.

Murphy will be paid out across 2024 and 2025. Picture: Ian Currie

Murphy’s manager Liam Pickering told SEN he had been well looked after by Collingwood, the AFL and the AFL Players Association, and would be paid out in full on his contract which runs through until the end of next year.

“He will be well looked after,” he said.

“He will continue to get as much support as he can off the field. He is a great young bloke, it is a pity he couldn’t play another seven or eight or ten years or however long it many have been. But unfortunately we know it is a serious issue, concussion , so that was the decision the panel made.”

Asked if Murphy’s payout would be included in Collingwood’s salary cap, he said: “At this stage, I think it does. Should it? I don’t know about that.

“That is something for the club to work through. He will be paid out his contract, (but) where it sits in relation to the salary cap, that is not really my department.

“It is an AFL and Collingwood thing.”

MURPHY ‘NOT DEFINED BY FOOTBALL’ AS HE PULLS PIN

Collingwood defender Nathan Murphy says he is “not defined by football” and he is “really excited” about what the future holds after being medically retired from the AFL.

Murphy met with the AFL’s expert concussion panel on Saturday, where the curtains came down on his six-and-a-half-year career.

While the 24-year-old had been working closely with Magpies backline coach Jordan Roughead to make adjustments to his game in a bid to return to the field, the panel ultimately made a decision which Murphy was “definitely accepting” of.

The 2023 premiership player advised teammates of the news on Tuesday morning.

“The last few months have been really tough but I was guided by medical advice that this was the right decision for me,” Murphy said.

“I’m really grateful that it’s probably come to this because they’re the professionals and I just have to trust their opinions.”

Nathan Murphy celebrates the Pies 2023 premiership – his final game of footy. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Murphy had suffered 10 concussions during his sporting career and was placed on a modified training program in February after copping another knock during pre-season training.

He had initially been cleared by the AFL’s expert concussion medical panel in December to return to play, but acknowledged it had been a “week-to-week process” since that point.

“You have your some good weeks and you have some bad weeks and so that continued symptoms and that was ultimately why they thought it was the best decision for me to retire at this point in time,” Murphy said.

While he had reached out to former Melbourne midfielder Angus Bradyshaw and former Collingwood and Brisbane defender Jack Frost – who were both forced into early retirement due to concussions – Murphy said such cases had little bearing on his situation.

“I continued the process we had as a club and as a player and ultimately this has come off the back of how I’ve been feeling and no one else,” he said.

Murphy said he did not worry about his personal health going forward, given the care and advice he had received.

Nathan Murphy had been given the green light to play over the summer. Picture: Josh Chadwick/Getty Images

“I think I’ve been so lucky where I’ve been guided by experts and I’ll continually be guided by experts so I’m really confident that we’ll be okay,” he said.

“Everything’s going to be alright and, to be honest, right now I haven’t really thought about the future, I’m just kind of lapping it up today. It’s all about me today.”

The Magpies have described Muphy as “the glue that holds the place together” and are “open-minded” to having him return in an off-field role at the club.

“I was a young kid who as I’ve said just wanted to play football or opening the batting for Australia,” Murphy said.

“Not many people get to say they live out their childhood dream and I’m so grateful to this amazing club that I was just in the right place at the right time and got to be a part of last year.

“It’s been a short career but I can’t really go and be like, ‘what if’, sort of thing. This is my story and I just have to own that.”

Originally published as AFL Concussion: Collingwood premiership star Nathan Murphy announces retirement