Samuel Murray Biography

Sam Murray opens up on his ongoing drug ban and the family tragedy that rocked him during a chat with Danny Kennedy on The Fitness and Lifestyle Podcast.

Kennedy has become close with Murray and is training the 2018 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee three times a week in a bid to prepare him for a third AFL shot, after stints at Sydney and Collingwood.

Murray said it was still unclear how his positive test occurred, but that there was enough evidence to suggest it was unintentional and that's why he avoided the maximum four-year suspension.

"I didn't intentionally go out and touch cocaine, and I've proven that in a court of law to the judges," Murray said.

"I didn't go out and 'get on it'. The Wednesday night before (the test), I had come into inadvertent contact with it, so I didn't understand how this had happened.

"For a long time, I didn't know what had happened, so that was probably the hardest bit, because I could have been playing in a Grand Final … Collingwood made the Grand Final and I was playing consistently."

One of the lesser-known elements of this saga is Murray's long-term difficulty with his mental health.

"I was struggling heavily with anxiety and the thing with anxiety is the best way to deal with it is to have things in place you can fall back on," he said.

"That's why I was OK in football … then when I got out of the system and didn't have football, didn't have structure, didn't have anything … I found myself completely lost."

Murray also described the impact of his 13-year-old cousin's death last year in a farming accident which occurred not long after his provisional ban became public.

"I thought my stuff was bad with football but then I got this and it put it into perspective," he said.

"You know what that was for me? That was the kick, that as bad as it is – and I don't wish that upon anyone – I realised my life was OK and how lucky we are as humans to wake up every day."

Sam Murray believes he's turned the corner as he enters the final stretch of his drugs suspension and has plenty to offer clubs if he's thrown an AFL lifeline.

"When I look back, I'm not naive to the fact there's question marks over me, but there's no point being down on it or reliving it every day," Murray told News Corp.

"I'm not saying what happened was good, ever, but I think I'm in better shape now to be a professional athlete and better human than ever."

Multiple clubs are considering throwing suspended Magpie and ex-Swan Sam Murray an AFL lifeline.

Melbourne, Richmond, Greater Western Sydney and North Melbourne are among the teams to register their interest in Murray, with the Demons considered as keen as any of them.

Sam Murray, currently serving an 18-month ban after traces of cocaine were detected in his system, has been told by Collingwood that he will not be offered a contract for 2020.

Murray can resume training with an AFL club on December 17 and can play from February 17, meaning he would effectively be able to complete almost a full pre-season.

However, he will need to find a third team to keep his career alive, after spending two seasons at Sydney then playing 13 games for the Magpies before his provisional ban began.

Sam Murray is free to play football in 2020 after successfully mitigating his ASADA sanction for drug use.

Murray was facing a four-year ban after traces of cocaine were detected in a game day test late July 2018, but it is believed his legal team has been able to reduce that to 18 months.

Sam Murray fronts the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal, more than a year after a positive ASADA match-day test.

The 21-year old has effectively served a 12-month provisional suspension. He is facing a four-year ban under current rules, but is hoping to mitigate that sanction significantly.

Collingwood select Samuel Murray with pick No.33 in the 2018 Rookie Draft.

Collingwood will delist then re-draft Sam Murray as a rookie as the defender awaits his fate from an ongoing ASADA investigation.

Collingwood confirms that Sam Murray is being investigated by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) for recording an elevated reading in a post-match drugs test.

"Collingwood is unequivocally committed to the cause of eliminating drugs in sport," Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said.

"In addition to ensuring we comply fully with the ASADA process, we are also ensuring that we support Sam as a person."

Sam Murray earns the 2018 round 3 NAB AFL Rising Star nomination after tallying 21 disposals, 7 marks and 4 tackles in Collingwood's 24-point win over Carlton.

Murray says he expected criticism about Collingwood's decision to trade for him last year, but even he was taken aback at the ferocity of it.

"The funny thing was when a lot of people made those comments, they'd never seen me play football," Murray said.

"They'd made judgments off the stats that I hadn't played an AFL game, but I don't think they're saying too much now."

Samuel Murray makes his AFL debut for Collingwood at the MCG with 19 disposals (12 kicks and 7 handballs), 4 marks and 3 tackles in a 34-point loss to Hawthorn.

Sydney trades Sam Murray and its future third-round selection to Collingwood for their future second-round selection.

Sydney confirms Collingwood's interest in young defender Sam Murray but insist no deal has been done to make him a Magpie.

"Sam is a category B rookie but if we were to offer him a contract, which we're prepared to do to go onto the senior list, and a deal is to be done, it would have to be a trade, so that’s a win for us," Swans footy manager Tom Harley said.

"So that being the case he can't just walk out to a club of his choice, he's not a free agent in that sense."