The Blues skipper is right of course, but that does not mean his is the team for the job.

Carlton will play the Hawks at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, an expected mismatch in an AFL round that otherwise throws up some interesting contests, including Richmond against Fremantle, and West Coast against Sydney.

Red-hot Hawthorn has lost four times this year - even Essendon edged them out them back in round two.

But there can be little doubt they have become the yardstick of the competition, having now notched up impressive wins against Freo and the Swans as part of a seven game streak.

Carlton, on the other hand, are a team playing for pride, but through a quirk in the AFL's fixture system will face the mighty Hawks not once but twice over the next seven weeks.

They would love to claim victory in Murphy's 200th AFL game, an opportunity to celebrate something good in a season marred by poor performances and the sacking of veteran coach Mick Malthouse.

But Hawthorn have begun to seem unstoppable as they steamroll towards the finals.

Murphy said interim coach John Barker had been good for the team, building good relationships with players and giving them more freedom on field, and the Blues have shown improvement in recent weeks.

But it would be an almighty upset if they managed to topple the Hawks.

Carlton need to put up a good fight this week, win a few games against weaker sides, then show further improvement when they face the Hawks again in round 23.

That would give long-suffering Blues fans hope for a better 2016.