It was more the fact that a former teammate – and close friend of his – new Roo Sam Power made a beeline for him ahead of the opening bounce.
"He's a good mate of mine, actually, but I was a bit shocked to see him come my way," Murphy told westernbulldogs.com.au, after the side's 11-point win.
Any sense of sentiment flew out the window, however, when the Kangaroo began to niggle Murphy and his surrounding forwards.
"I just wished him all the best, and then he started mouthing off at Johnno so we had a bit of an argy-bargy," he said.
"So, the good feelings soon went away. But I think he played well, and I think he's going to have a great career at North Melbourne."
During a brief moment when he broke away from Power's attention, Murphy endured an embarrassing moment in the second quarter.
He charged into goal, ready to dribble the ball over the line, only to trip and totally lose control of the Sherrin.
"I was paranoid I was going to be tackled, and I barely kicked it," he laughed.
"I wanted to kick it and my foot barely hit it. I still can't believe it happened."
Murphy, who was being given plenty of grief about the error in the rooms after the game, said his teammates weren't the only ones who enjoyed highlighting the moment.
"The crowd went off their heads, but I was more worried about what was going on in the coaches' box," he said.
"It was a pretty crucial time of the game, and it's funny now because we won but at the time … actually, it's not even that funny now, it's pretty ordinary.
"But, it happens. It's one for the highlights reel, I suppose."
Murphy said the untidy nature of the game was to be expected, given the damp nature of the ground and the fact both sides are coming off an extended break.
"It was always going to be pretty rusty, and with the slippery ball and humid conditions, no one was really surprised it was pretty scrappy," he said.
"I thought there was some good stuff as well. One thing, it was really intense for the whole game, and sometimes those games can just peter out."
