He attended John Gardiner Secondary College and played junior Australian football with the Central Dragons.
He made a sensational start to his senior playing career when he kicked five goals for the Tigers in his debut in Round 11, 1994 against Essendon.
[1][2] After he clashed with Richmond senior coach John Northey, and doubts about his discipline began to emerge, Murphy was traded to Carlton at the end of the 1995 season.
Rounding off an impressive year, he played finals football for the first time, although the Blues didn't lift when they needed to, and were eliminated by successive losses.
Brittain was sacked as senior coach of Carlton at the end of the 2002 season, having overseen the Blues’ first-ever wooden spoon, while the entire playing list was subjected to intense scrutiny.
Murphy then had a falling-out with Carlton senior coach Denis Pagan and the match committee and then requested a trade to Essendon at the end of the 2003 season.
It was also reported that he failed to pay an ordered $400 donation to a Black Saturday bushfire appeal that was part of his penalty for the theft.
[12] In 2017, Murphy was sentenced to 6 months in prison after pleading guilty to 28 charges, including unlawful assault, aggravated burglary and making threats to kill.
[13] The charges related to a series of attacks on his former partner, Jill Scott, one of which involved him holding her down and burning her finger with a blowtorch.