Stephen Murray reflects on hitting 300 matches for Highland Rugby Club – and says he is not done yet with more new challenges ahead of him
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Highland Rugby Club prop Stephen Murray paid tribute to the coaches that have kept him going after reaching 300 first team games for the Canal Park outfit.
Murray, affectionately known as "Scuba", began playing for Highland's first team back in 2006, and hit the milestone in what would turn out to be their last game of the 2023/24 season against Watsonians in the Scottish Cup last weekend.
Very few players have played more for the club than Murray, although teammate Kevin Brown is slightly ahead of him in the appearances table.
As such, it was a special moment for Murray, who credited coaches Dave Carson, Brian Bell and the late Alasdair "Porky" Wemyss for keeping him going for so many years.
"We realised I was going to hit 300, and that became a bit of a personal target to get to 300 before the end of the season," Murray explained.
"At Highland, there aren't many players who have got to that number, so it is definitely a bit of a milestone for my career.
"A big thing for me was how the other boys reacted – I didn't think anyone would really care, but a lot of the other boys were really positive and sent heartfelt messages. That meant a lot, because you don't always see that side of rugby.
"Back when I started we were driving around Inverness most mornings trying to pick boys up to go and play down south. Now there are 60 to 70 boys training every Tuesday and Thursday, and we have three teams.
"The facilities we've had over the last five or six years has helped, but to me a big part of that is the coaching – Davie Carson, Brian Bell and Porky, who has passed.
"When Davie took over, he was probably one of the sole reasons – him and Porky – that I kept playing.
"Davie is the reason why we have kept turning up every week. You don't find many coaches that people will run through brick walls for, but he is one of them."
Murray has seen plenty of changes – both at Canal Park and more generally in Scottish club rugby – over the years.
He has been part of a Highland squad that reached national cup finals and played at Murrayfield, as well as rising up from the regional Caledonia leagues into the national divisions where they are now just one step away from the Premiership.
Murray has remained motivated by the ever-changing challenges in front of him though, which in recent years have included selection for the Caledonia Reds regional select squad.
While he is conscious that time is ticking down on his playing days, then, he also refuses to put a timescale on walking away while there are new heights to hit.
"They rebirthed the Caledonia Reds in about 2017, and Highland weren't really on the scene to be noticed yet," Murray recalled.
"I made it a personal goal for myself back then to get in the squad. It didn't happen the next year, but I told myself I would be in the squad one day.
"It kicked up again last year, and I was selected and played in every game. I got selected again this year, and it's a younger crop of guys so there's a lot of competition, but hopefully I get a slot in the squad.
"If I win with the Caley Reds, is that the end? Do I have another season to try and finally get into the Premiership?
"I've definitely got another season in me, just maybe not many more. I don't have a number of games in mind, I'm just taking each game as it comes now.
"Hitting that 300 milestone, it is literally game to game now, whereas before I was trying to get through the season.
"To be honest, my job now with the age that I am, I'm looking to pass the reins on to the younger props at the club. I have worn that shirt now for 18 seasons, and I want to pass that on.
"The crop coming up are getting to come into National One level, whereas I came up in the trenches getting blooded in.
"These boys are miles ahead of where I was already, so I'm kind of looking forward to having that replacement.
"There are always new challenges for me and new areas for me to explore in rugby – especially with Highland. When I stop playing, it doesn't mean my career is over. I could go into coaching – there are many things I could do."
