Muzz
Charlie Murray
Rugby league · Wests Tigers (NRL)
Charlie’s story
By the time Charlie Murray got his chance in the NRL, he’d played 66 reserve-grade games and come close to walking away from footy. He’d watched many of his mates from juniors make it to the big leagues whilst he was still turning up to training, playing reserves and wondering when his chance would ever come.
Charlie grew up in Laurieton on the NSW Mid North Coast. At 16, he moved to Sydney for a shot with the Parramatta Eels junior squad. A back injury interrupted that opportunity, and he went home before moving to the Gold Coast for school. At Marymount College, he was named Player of the Carnival at the 2019 Confraternity Carnival. He had shown what he could do at junior level. Getting a chance in first grade would take years.
Charlie played under-20s and Queensland Cup. He spent time in the Gold Coast Titans and Melbourne Storm systems and won the 2023 Queensland Cup premiership with the Brisbane Tigers. By the end of 2024, he was asking himself whether to keep chasing the NRL or settle into life away from it.
With his family backing him, Charlie packed up and moved to Sydney again for one last shot at the NRL. All he had was a two-week train-and-trial with Wests Tigers. After years in reserve grade and coming close to walking away, he was betting on himself again.
Charlie started the 2025 season in NSW Cup with the Western Suburbs Magpies. Week after week, he made his case through the way he trained and played. His work ethic and consistency earned the coaches’ trust and, eventually, a call-up to first grade. At 23 years of age, Charlie made his fairy-tale NRL debut for Wests Tigers against the Penrith Panthers on 8 June 2025.
What Charlie brings as a mentor
Charlie knows what it’s like to cheer on your mates as they get their shot while you’re still fighting for yours. You can be proud of them and still wonder when your chance will come. Charlie brings a big-brother perspective to those moments. He’s been there, and he’ll help you talk through what you’re feeling and work out what you can do next.
Charlie will help you turn what’s happening in your sport into a plan you can put into practice. If you’ve missed a squad, you might work out what to ask your coach, set a goal for the next few weeks and agree on how you’ll tell if you’re making progress. You’ll check in on what worked, adjust what didn’t and decide on your next step together.