The South City Royals have won nine and drawn one of their 13 games, and lead Green Island by four points with one round to play.
Some wondered if the Royals, a team formed from the Caversham and Dunedin Technical clubs, would be able to taste instant success, given the history between the rivals and the political ramifications of any merger.
But Murray was never a doubter.
"We’d kept the majority of players from last year, and we thought they had the ability and the potential to win the league," he said this week.
"It was just a matter of whether they clicked.
"We added a couple of good players to add some more quality and we knew it would make a difference."
Technical and Caversham joining forces once sounded as likely as Rangers and Celtic combining.
The key, Murray said, was working hard on team culture and making sure everyone was paddling the waka in the same direction.
"Before we went ahead, we asked the players how they felt. And there was some apprehension, because obviously you think with your heart. But the head says this is the beginning of something that could be quite exciting.
"It was a difficult decision. I think there’s 90 years of history for Cavvy and 101 for Tech. But you don’t lose that history. That’s what built these clubs. It’s about using that history and building on it.
"We needed to bring the guys together, so we did a lot of team-building stuff — things like boxing — and that worked really well.
"It was just about working together and building relationships. I think that has transferred to the field.
"Historically, they were two clubs that were fierce rivals, and highly competitive.
"But over the last couple of years, both clubs struggled a bit for results. They were sixth and eight last year, and not many clubs finishing that low are going to turn around a year later and win the title with two games to spare."
Like many club sports teams in Dunedin, the Royals are young — the average age is a shade over 20 — and that gives the coach confidence more success is to come.
"This squad is a two to three-year project, I think. It’s difficult with half of them being students, because their priorities are a little bit different.
"We’ll lose most of them in a couple of years so we just have to make the most of it, and develop them in the time we have them."
Murray has been delighted with the progress of Kaleb de Groot-Green, pushed back from the midfield into defence, towering central defender Harry Chadwick, and attackers Raven August and Will Turner.
Around them, Jared Grove and Connor Neil have added their experience, Liam Whittaker has blossomed in goal, and burly forward Ryan Fleming has had a big influence after taking most of last year off.
"Ryan coming in has made a big difference because it’s given us a pivot up top," Murray said.
"He just provides a talisman up top, someone who can hold the ball up, a presence. You can play the ball off him.
"Caversham, especially, was built on speed out wide. Having someone big and strong up top means we can change the way we play."
The Royals’ final game in the league is a dead rubber against Mosgiel today.
They play Otago University in the fourth round of the Chatham Cup next weekend, before the new-look Southern League — three Otago teams joining the Canterbury/Nelson mob — starts on July 17.
- By Richard Murray
