CARLTON captain Marc Murphy is the latest Blue to endorse interim coach John Barker as a candidate for the full-time job, saying he's enjoyed football more in the last few months under his guidance.
On the eve of the skipper's 200th game, Murphy said Barker had been a positive influence on the players since he took over from Mick Malthouse in May.
Murphy said the way Barker had backed the players in and allowed them to play with more freedom made him a strong candidate, but wasn't sure how much influence his own personal vote as club captain would carry in the decision-making process.
"I'd love to see Johnny get the job. The club's got to go through the process of trying to find the best man for the job and what he's done over the last six or seven weeks has been really good for the footy club," Murphy said on Thursday.
"My opinion gets asked, but in terms of what sort of percentage that holds with the whole scheme of it, I'm not too sure.
"Personally, Johnny has been great for me and I'll support him as long as he's here and whether that's beyond this year, that will play out over the next few months.
"He's putting a great case forward to the selectors but I'm sure the club will go through a process."
Murphy admitted there had been tough times on his journey to 200 games but was buoyed by the way the Blues have approached the last few months.
"I still enjoy it. It's obviously got its challenges, and during those challenges you don't enjoy it as much as you should," he said.
"But I've really enjoyed especially my last month or two with a young group of guys we've got at the moment, and leading those guys out and seeing some of the development of those guys has been really important.
"It gives me a lot of joy as captain as well so I still enjoy my footy."
Murphy said the players knew where they stood with Barker, and appreciated the chance to take more ownership of the Blues' direction in the second half of the season.
"He spoke to us, probably in the first meeting when he got the reins and asked us what we wanted to get out of the rest of the year and standards we wanted to set for ourselves and the group," he said.
"He's held us to account and put the ball in our court and really tried to drive us on those three or four things we've tried to focus on."
The 28-year, who is a season into a four-year contract, said he "no doubt" considered himself to be a Blue for life and expected to stay at the club beyond 2018.
"I love the footy club. It's a great honour having my name up there with some of the other guys who have played over 200 games," he said.
"It's gone quick. When you play football you're always looking forward to the next chapter and what you can achieve going forward, and you sort of get lost in the moment a little bit some times.
"I've had a lot of ups and downs but I'm looking forward to trying to get some more ups over the next few years in my footy career and really enjoying my footy and driving this team forward."
