Murphy sits out pre-season as concussion concerns mount for Collingwood defender

Nathan Murphy will not play in any of Collingwood's pre-season matches this year. The decision comes six months after he was knocked unconscious in the first quarter of the 2023 AFL grand final—a collision that marked his tenth concussion in his professional career. Though the league's concussion panel cleared him to resume playing in December, Murphy has found himself unable to move forward.

The 24-year-old's struggle is not primarily physical. He passed medical examinations and was deemed fit to train. But in January, during a Collingwood pre-season session, he was tackled heavily by teammate Nick Daicos and hit the ground hard. He left the session, was cleared by doctors to return, and rejoined the group. That incident crystallized something Murphy had been wrestling with: he could not get his mind right for the kind of football he plays.

"The reality is knowing the way I play the game, I have been finding it difficult to get myself in the right frame of mind to participate in match simulation," Murphy said in a statement. He emphasized that Collingwood had been supportive and that he felt physically well. But the gap between medical clearance and psychological readiness had become impossible to ignore. He was not ready to risk another head knock, and he was being honest about it.

Collingwood's football operations boss Graham Wright confirmed that Murphy would continue on a specialized training program tailored to his needs. "Nathan's welfare, like the welfare of all our athletes and people, remains paramount," Wright said. The club would not push him back into match play before he felt prepared. Wright noted that the grand final in September was the last competitive game Murphy had played.

Murphy's decision has arrived amid mounting scrutiny of how the AFL and individual clubs handle concussion protocols. In early February, Collingwood chief executive Craig Kelly responded sharply to media criticism, defending the club's handling of Murphy's case. "For anyone to write an article that says we're not looking after our players and reports stuff when they haven't got all the information, they're not in the inner sanctum, is just wrong," Kelly said. He pushed back against what he saw as sensationalism around a genuinely difficult situation the club was working through.

The broader context is stark. Four AFL players retired from the sport last year specifically because of complications from repeated head injuries: Sydney's Paddy McCartin, Brisbane's Marcus Adams, Adelaide's Paul Seedsman, and Hawthorn's Max Lynch all decided to step away. Murphy is 24 years old and has already absorbed ten significant head impacts. The question of whether he should continue playing at all has been raised by fans and observers, though Murphy himself has not indicated he is considering retirement.

For now, Murphy will train with Collingwood, participate in meetings and conditioning work, and wait until he feels mentally prepared to return to match simulation and AFL competition. The club says it will support him through that process without pressure. What remains unclear is whether that readiness will come before the season begins in March, or whether Murphy's path forward will require a longer timeline—or a different decision altogether.