The Blues' most recent victory over a top-bracket team at Docklands was back in round 13, 2011, when their third-placed line-up defeated fifth side the Sydney Swans by 34 points.
Since then, Carlton has failed in each of its six clashes with teams inside the eight, going down by an average margin of 28 points.
Overall, the Blues have won only two of their past 10 games at Etihad. They have lost their past three matches there, including both outings this season – to Geelong by 16 points in round three, and to St Kilda by nine points last round.
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The prospect of hosting Port Adelaide – who claims an even worse record at Docklands, losing its past six games there by an average of 38 points – appears a tantalising one for the Blues.
The Power surprised everyone by winning their first five games this season but has since dropped successive games to fellow finals hopefuls North Melbourne and Richmond. However, Port remains two games clear of Carlton.
"It's a good chance for us on Sunday to try to break that hoodoo and finally beat a top-eight side there," Murphy told AFL.com.au.
"The Power are a much-improved side and they've been very good this year, so we're pretty excited about matching ourselves against them.
"We're really determined to turn things around at Etihad, and it's important that we do because it's our home ground. We'd love nothing more than to win a few big games there so we can stop everyone from talking about us having such a bad record there."
Murphy is at a loss to explain the Blues' horrid strike rate at Docklands, but believes it might simply be a statistical anomaly, given they have been beaten by no more than 16 points in each of their past three attempts.
In their defence, the Blues were cruelled by early injuries against the Saints, losing running players Chris Yarran and David Ellard in the first quarter while defender Michael Jamison was hampered by a shoulder problem for virtually the entire contest.
"We can obviously play well there because we haven't been far away," Murphy said.
Some people believe a factor is the smaller size of Etihad Stadium relative to the MCG, where the Blues have posted 16 wins and a draw from their past 24 games. According to the theory, Carlton's speedsters prefer the extra space afforded by bigger grounds.
To this end, at the initiative of coach Mick Malthouse, the Blues have reduced the size of the oval at Visy Park to mirror the dimensions of Etihad Stadium. Murphy says the exercise has been beneficial.
"I don't think you can put our poor record there down to the smaller size of the ground. It's not as wide as the MCG, but it's almost the same length," he said.
"We beat the Swans at the SCG a couple of years ago and that's one of the smallest grounds in the AFL."
The Blues' overall record at Etihad Stadium, their home ground since 2005, is just 31 wins from 91 games.
Winning seasons there in 2009 (6-2) and 2011 (5-4) have provided only fleeting relief.
When their 10-year deal at Etihad Stadium expires at the end of the 2014 season, the Blues plan to move the bulk of their home games to the MCG.
