When Adelaide recruit Toby Murray was first approached by the Club to join its SANFL squad, the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself.

Not only was he joining a professional football program, where he would get the chance to train with the AFL squad over the pre-season, but he was also reuniting with his brother, Nick.

For the first time since their junior footy days, the Murray brothers will don the same colours in 2024, and get the opportunity to train with each other day in and day out.

Speaking to AFC Media, the 200cm ruck/forward said he could not wait to embark on the next chapter of his football journey with his brother by his side.

“I’m super excited to be at the same footy Club as my brother again, there’s honestly nothing better than being able to play with a sibling,” Murray said.

“Having someone to learn off and go under their wing at training from day one, it will be super valuable for me, especially through the pre-season.

“With the living side of things, having Nick here has made the move to Adelaide so easy, he’ll without a doubt be pushing me to get the best out of myself. 

“I’m just hoping we can get a couple of games together next year as he comes back from the ACL.”

Similarly to his brother, Murray has not taken a traditional route to the Adelaide Football Club. 

Starting in Albury as a junior, the key position prospect has enjoyed stints at the Murray Bushrangers, Essendon VFL and Ovens and Murray outfit Wangaratta Rovers, before making the move to West Lakes.

Having watched his brother Nick turn an opportunity to train with the Club into a blossoming AFL career, Murray said he took a lot of inspiration from his brother’s story.

“I definitely take inspiration from Nick’s journey to the AFL, the story has gone around a bit, but the work he was doing on the farm back home before he got drafted, it was great to see that first hand,” Murray said. 

“He took a bit of a different route to get to the top level, and it’s something I definitely look at and want to mirror. 

“Being here (at the Crows) now and being around him, it’s certainly going to push me to want to improve as a player every single day.” 

Playing alongside his brother was not the only thing that made this opportunity with the Crows an attractive one.

Having played strong footy in one of the top country league’s in Victoria, he wanted to test himself at a state level, and saw the SANFL as the perfect competition to take his game to the next level.

“I’m super pumped to take on the challenge of playing SANFL footy, it’s regarded as probably the best competition outside the AFL, so I can’t wait to test myself at the level,” Murray said.

“Being a pretty mobile ruck/forward, I’m hoping my skills can translate well to the competition, and I can have a big impact on the team.

“Hopefully I can put on a bit of size and take my game to another level.”