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Adrian Morley has been one of the stand-out British rugby league players of the last 20 years, and there can be no questioning his impact and standing in the game – not just in the UK, but also in Australia.
What a great career he has had.
As a gangly youth he made his debut alongside his boyhood hero Ellery Hanley for Leeds in the pre-Super League days of 1995. He went on to play in the inaugural Super League grand final in 1998, which the Rhinos lost 10-4 to Wigan Warriors, before winning the Challenge Cup the following year as the Rhinos defeated London Broncos 52-16.
Morley became a hulking behemoth who terrorised Australians and New Zealanders in a record-breaking international career that included a total of 51 caps (30 for Great Britain and 21 for England).
He left Leeds in 2000 and enjoyed a very successful six-year stint in the NRL with Sydney Roosters, winning the 2002 grand final against the New Zealand Warriors.
The Roosters went on to win the World Club Championship in 2003 with a 38-0 rout of Super League champions St Helens, ‘Moz’ scoring one of the Roosters’ five tries.
The Roosters enjoyed great success over the next two years, making both grand finals, losing to Penrith Panthers in 2003 and Canterbury Bulldogs in 2004.
During his time at the Roosters, Morley even managed to sneak in a cameo six-game stint with Bradford Bulls in 2005, including a grand final winning appearance against his old team Leeds. In doing so he became the first Englishman to win the British and Australian grand finals alongside the Challenge Cup.
Moz returned to the UK a more mature player in 2007 and helped inspire Warrington Wolves to three Challenge Cup wins in 2009, 2010 and 2012, and two losing grand final appearances in 2012 and 2013.
Morley chose to end his career at his hometown club, Salford Red Devils, and was part of Marwan Koukash’s ‘Devilution’ that has so far failed to reap the hoped-for rewards.
He was something of a hot head in his early years but developed into a hard-running, hard-tackling, no-nonsense prop forward who was admired and liked greatly by both his teammates and opponents.
Obviously, his most infamous moment was being sent off after just 12 seconds of the first Test of the 2003 Ashes series, for a high shot on Robbie Kearns directly from the kick off. No player has ever been sent off quicker in a rugby league international.
Moz has always been a modest and honest man and has called time on his career at the right time. There is nothing worse than a star player going on too long.
He will be recalled as a genuine great of the modern day game and his continued involvement at some level needs to be guaranteed – rugby league does not make enough use of our ex-players.
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