Crows defender Nick Murray believes his Round 19 knee scare “put things in perspective” as he nervously awaited news on a potential ACL tear.

Just four weeks after returning from an ACL rupture, Murray found himself in a “scary” situation against the Bombers in Round 19, after he hyper-extended his left knee in a marking contest. 

Subbed out of the match, the 23-year-old required scans the following day to alleviate concerns of another rupture. 

“It was obviously pretty scary, there were a lot of similarities from when I tore the ACL to that one (against Essendon), so I was thinking worst case,” Murray told the media on Tuesday. 

“To get back to Adelaide the next day, have the MRI and find out I was okay, it was such a relief. 

“I only ended up being out for the one week, but it did make me realise how lucky I am to be playing AFL footy. 

“It put a lot of things in perspective for me, and I have a lot of gratitude towards the process and coming out the other side without getting that bad news.”

Since making his return against the Swans in Round 14, Murray has featured in six matches and averaged 11.7 disposals, 6.5 spoils and 4.1 marks per game. 

He said each time he steps on the field, he can feel progress being made. 

“I am certainly getting more and more confident in the knee and can feel it getting stronger as the weeks go by,” Murray said. 

“I am just ticking over 12 months and I feel that with each game I am getting better.

“Obviously there are a lot of areas I need to work on to get back to the form I showed last year, but hopefully I can finish this season really strong and be in a great spot come the start of pre-season.”

Murray’s next challenge will come this Sunday, as the Crows face an in-form Bulldogs outfit at Adelaide Oval.

He outlined the team’s mindset leading into the match, and what it wants to get out of the final three weeks of the season. 

“They (the Bulldogs) are going really well in all areas of their game, so they will without doubt be a tough opponent for us this week,” Murray said. 

“The focus for us is just to keep putting in consistent performances, and finish off this season really well, and this Sunday will present a fantastic test for us. 

“Hopefully we can put in a very solid performance and build momentum leading into next year.” 

Adelaide will face the Dogs at Adelaide Oval on Sunday at 3.40pm.

Tickets are still available here.