CARLTON captain Marc Murphy has acknowledged critics of his leadership and believes he's better prepared than ever to prove them wrong this season.

Murphy has missed one training session in three months, a sharp difference to recent pre-seasons, having assumed the captaincy in 2013.

After battling a shoulder injury in 2015, and then an ankle injury last season, Murphy admits he hasn't had the best shot at leading his young team.

"I suppose the last few years are still driving me," Murphy told Melbourne radio RSN on Tuesday morning.

"I played (10) games out of the 22 last year, and was pretty frustrated the way it all finished.

"From outside the footy club I've sort of copped a little bit over the years about not leading from the front.

"I've played some good footy over the last couple of years, but not to the level I know I can get to."

Murphy is expected to take the field in the JLT Community Series.

"I'm 29, but feel like I'm 22 at the moment, and I'm really excited to get stuck into these pre-season games in four weeks' time," he said.

Carlton has to wait for the second week of pre-season matches for its first match, travelling to Casey Fields to face Melbourne on Saturday, February 25.

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