Nathan Murphy has announced his retirement, effective immediately.
The Collingwood premiership defender has opted to step away from the game amid concussion problems.
Murphy played 57 games for the Magpies and has been forced into premature retirement at the age of 24 with a panel of experts advising him to medically retire.
His final game for the Pies was the 2023 Grand Final triumph over Brisbane.
Nathan Murphy has called time on his AFL career, after seven seasons, 57 games, a premiership, and a lifetime of memories created in the black and white.
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) April 15, 2024
A friend to all, whose legacy will live forever at our Club 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/ElF6ME3T17
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has given his snap reaction to the news, praising Murphy for making a tough decision.
“He was courageous to a fault,” Buckley told SEN’s Whateley.
“It took a while for us to work out where to play him, he had a slight build coming in.
“He went down back and kept going back into the hole and knocking himself out.
“He really struggled through his first 24 months in the AFL system and he blossomed when he got his opportunity as a tall back and was a part of the premiership last year.
“It’s a real shame for him from a professional standpoint, but he’s a great young man, he’s made a decision that along with the medicos that he has had to make and he has a bright future ahead of him with whatever he wants to chase because of the character that he is.”