The 2023 season was one of growth for the Adelaide Football Club. 

From a pair of Showdown victories to opening Gather Round in style, the campaign was filled with memorable moments.

Across the next few months we will look back on the 2023 season by hearing from the players who helped define it.

Welcome to AFC Media’s Reflections series. 

Watching the likes of Carlton’s Charlie Curnow, Geelong spearhead Jeremy Cameron or Brisbane forward Joe Daniher make their way down to you at the beginning of a match could be enough to make any defender in the AFL quiver in their boots.

But when it comes to young Adelaide defender Nick Murray, the proposition of battling it out against the competition’s best forwards is something he thrives on.

In just his third season of AFL, Murray took the mantle as the Crows’ number one key defender, using his natural athleticism and steely determination to become one of the competition’s best emerging backmen.

Now a key cog in Adelaide’s budding back six, Murray told AFC Media the responsibility of taking on the best forwards had helped propel his game to new heights. 

“I really love it (playing on the best forwards), I thrive on the responsibility of having a big task,” Murray said.

“These guys have the ability to kick six or seven and break the game open, so there certainly are nerves heading into the contests, but I tend to look at what I do well that matches up against them and hone in on that. 

“Looking back over the season, I did a pretty good job against a lot of the best forwards in the game, which gives me a lot of confidence that what I’ve been working on at training and in the off-season has been working.”

Murray’s breakout campaign, which included averaging 7.3 spoils per game - an increase in a previous career average of 6.3 - came to an abrupt end in Round 19.

After injuring his left knee against Melbourne at the MCG, scans soon confirmed Murray had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament.

“When it happened it was obviously quite sore initially but I was staying pretty optimistic and was able to run around on the bench, so I thought I might be able to get back on,” Murray said.

“I didn’t really expect a full ACL tear, I thought it might have been a partial (tear) or just a hyperextension, so when the news came through I was pretty devastated.

“But it’s one of those things where I just need to get on with life, I’m starting my rehab process now which will be a long road ahead, but the big thing for me is to stay positive.”

Staying positive through this rehab period has, however, been made easier by the strong support network Murray has on and off the field.

He was confident the systems he had in place would allow him to return bigger and better in 2024 and beyond.

“I just need to attack each day with a positive mindset and take the highs and lows of the process as they come,” Murray said. 

“I’ve got guys I can bounce off like Sloaney and Tex who have been through it before, and the high performance team at the Club are great in helping us through these periods. 

“I’ve also got my passions outside of footy that keep me sane, being out on the farm will help a lot in keeping up that positive mindset.

“At the moment I’m hoping to get back at the start of June next year, and I’m confident that I'll be able to quickly get back my pre-injury form.” 

But while his season came to an unfortunate end, the body of work he put together over the front half of the year had put him in good stead to overcome the challenge. 

Murray said much of his improvement came from a mindset change leading into the games.

“I was a lot more confident heading into games this year, and that mainly just came down to my mindset,” Murray said. 

“In my first two years I was going into games hoping that my opponent wouldn’t kick a lot of goals on me, while now I am stressing less and confident I have what it takes to get it done against these top guys. 

“From about Round Two onwards, I just felt really comfortable at the level, which is something I probably didn’t experience in my first two years coming in quite raw. 

“At the start of my career I probably wasn’t ready to play AFL footy, but now I definitely feel I’m up to the challenge, and the performances I put together this year give me a lot of confidence moving forward.”