When Marc Murphy was drafted to the Carlton Football Club in 2005 at pick number one, the club was at its lowest point in their long and successful history and Carlton fans were not use to it. The Blues had a proud record of never finishing last from the years of 1897 until the end of 2002 and no other club could boast a length of time going that long without receiving the dreaded wooden spoon. Carlton finished bottom in 2002, but the salary cap scandal ripped the heart out of the club and their supporters and set back the club six or seven years before they could even recover to being competitive again.
The sanctions came at the wrong time for the club as well as the list was getting old and needed a rebuilding of young youth badly and in 2002, Carlton were stripped of draft picks 1, 2, 31 and 34 in the 2002 and its first and second round picks in 2003 as well. Andrew Walker was drafted in 2003 and that was only because Carlton got a priority pick because they were bad enough to receive it. The season of 2004 saw the team win ten games that pushed the side back up the ladder, but 2005 the team sank down the bottom of the ladder again receiving their second wooden spoon in three years.
Heading in to the 2005 National draft, The Blues were tasked to pick a core of players who would help the club rebuild and help the club back up the ladder. At pick one which was a priority pick, Carlton selected Marc Murphy and at pick four Carlton selected Josh Kennedy and the club looked set to rebuild the list back to a respectable one quickly. Josh Kennedy was traded to West Coast in 2007 for the mega move trade of Chris Judd to Carlton.
Getting Murphy was a godsend and the fact that he chose Carlton over Brisbane was a bold choice especially as the Lions were just coming off a very successful period and needed a top up of talent. Murphy chose Carlton as he didn't want to leave Melbourne. This was the boost in the arm that the Carlton football club needed and the kind of player who ended up being loyal and Carlton through and through his whole career.
15 seasons later and Murphy is set to run out for his last and 300th career game against Port Adelaide this weekend and it will be a sad end to a great era for a player who bleeds blue. Murphy successful career includes winning the John Nicholls medal in the years 2011 and 2017. He also received the Leigh Matthews medal as the AFL's Most Valuable Player for the season 2011, AFLPA Best First Year Player Of The Year in 2006, All Australian in 2011 and probably the one thing he holds as his highest honour in being Captain of the Carlton Football Team from 2013-2018.
The last few years of Murphy's career were extended as he tried to play as long as he could as he was in the hope that he could eventually taste the ultimate success in getting a Premiership. This dream now is over and there have been some unlucky finals losses over the journey that were heart breaking that also stopped him from ever getting the ultimate achievement.
Thanks "Murph" for the great service and for helping lift Carlton out of the bad times in the early 2000's and you will be never forgotten for the way you played and led Carlton throughout the years. He leaves Carlton in a reasonable position with a good young list and a record membership the club can now build the future the way "Murph" played his football, committed, honest and straight ahead.