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Marc Murphy
Marc Murphy
Personal information
Full name	Marc Murphy
Date of birth	19 July 1987 (1987-07-19) (age 22)
Place of birth	Victoria, Australia
Recruited from	Oakleigh Chargers
Draft	1st overall, 2005 Carlton Blues
Height/Weight	180cm / 80kg
Position(s)	Midfield
Club information
Current club	Carlton
Number	3
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2006-	Carlton	80 (63)
1 Playing statistics to end of 2009 season .

Marc Murphy (born 19 July 1987) is an Australian rules footballer, recruited at number one in the 2005 AFL Draft by the Carlton Football Club and is also part owner of the clothing boutique Hemisphere, located at the Doncaster Shopping Centre.

[edit] Early life

Murphy attended Whitefriars College in Donvale, Victoria.

As the son of John Murphy (a Hall-of-Famer and legend of the Fitzroy Football Club), Marc was eligible to be taken by the Brisbane Lions under the father-son rule. However he exercised his option to decline the offer and nominate for the 2005 AFL National draft. Carlton subsequently took him in the draft with the first overall draft pick, a priority pick.

[edit] AFL career

[edit] 2006

Murphy made his AFL debut in Round 1, 2006. His quality performance on debut earned him a nomination for the NAB AFL Rising Star Award.

Murphy impressed pundits in his first season, and he was an early favourite for the NAB AFL Rising Star Award. In July, Murphy sustained a season-ending shoulder injury; this effectively ended any chance he had of winning the Rising Star Award, however he was still voted by his peers the winner of the AFLPA Best First Year Player award. He also led the Carlton Football Club in assists for the season, despite playing only twelve full games.

[edit] 2007

Murphy was elevated to the eight-man leadership group for the 2007 season. In early 2007 Murphy replicated his good form of 2006, amassing 30 disposals against eventual premiers Geelong in Round 2. However, an injury to prime midfielder Nick Stevens after Round 3 saw Murphy attract the opposition's best taggers in most games. While his form remained solid, shaking the experienced taggers proved too big a challenge for the second year player and he finished outside the top 10 in the club's best and fairest.

[edit] 2008

Murphy added considerable bulk to his frame during the 2007/08 offseason, highlighted in many preseason news articles. He was no longer in the leadership group, which was now reduced five players. Murphy benefitted significantly from the return of Nick Stevens and the recruitment of Chris Judd, the pair of whom now attracted the strongest taggers, and this gave him more freedom to run. A solid 32 touches against Brisbane in Round 8, then having a game breaking 33 touches against Port Adelaide in Round 11 with the Blues getting home by 12 points after trailing by as much as 38 points in the 3rd quarter. He played his 50th game in round 15 against the Saints. Murphy capped off a great 2008 season by coming second to Chris Judd in the John Nicholls Medal for the Carlton Best and Fairest, recording 11 votes in the Brownlow Medal. Marc Murphy was selected for Australia in the International Rules series against Ireland. He was one of Australia's best in the first test, kicking 4 overs to assist a late-game comeback by Australia which fell one point short. He scored a goal in the second test by unintentionally tapping the ball into the net from crowded contest.

[edit] 2009

Murphy continued to improve in the 2009 season, establishing himself as one of the elite midfielders in the AFL, and averaging 25.6 disposals per game. He became Carlton's most potent goal-scoring midfielder, setting himself a personal target of averaging a goal a game, and he achieved this with a total of 31 goals from his 23 matches. After becoming a damaging midfielder, he was selected in the All-Australian Squad of 40, but was not selected in the team, and polled 15 Brownlow Medal votes to finish equal 9th. He again finished second in the Best and Fairest award (John Nicholls Medal) behind his captain Chris Judd.

[edit] Statistics

Statistics are correct as of 23 January, 2010^[1]

[edit] External links

• Marc Murphy profile on the Official AFL Website of the Carlton Football Club
• Marc Murphy's statistics from AFL Tables
• Marc Murphy Profile in Blueseum

[edit] References

v • d • e Australia squad – 2008 International Rules Series Captain: Harvey | Bock | Boyd | Brennan | Brown | Burgoyne | Campbell | Crowley | Firrito | Foley | Hayden | Montagna | Motlop | Murphy | Osborne | Pendlebury | Petrie | Rodan | Rooke | Sewell | Simpson | Selwood | Thomas | Thompson | Wells | Coach: Malthouse