Rugby league’s 300-game club currently has 18 members, including all-time greats such as Darren Lockyer and Brad Fittler. This weekend a far less heralded player will join the club when John Morris of the Cronulla Sharks plays his 300th game.
While many will be surprised to learn that Morris has accumulated so many games, his achievement is the equal of, and indeed in some ways superior, to that of luminescent talents like Lockyer and Fittler.
Though Morris started his career with appearances on the wing in Newcastle, the bulk of his career has been spent as a hooker and halves Mr Fix-It. Bouncing from one role in the spine to another, he has also spent whole seasons relegated to the true ‘utility’ jersey No. 14.
No other player in the game really comes close to matching Morris’s utility credentials.
Certainly many players have spent bits and pieces of time out of their primary position, while others have made permanent switches. But no other player has bounced between positions for whole seasons at a time, each time making the ‘new’ position his own.
While his position may not have been consistent, his availability has been. To get to his 300th appearance in this his 14th season he has averaged over 22 games per season across four different clubs.
For a player whose teams have rarely been involved in deep finals runs, this is some achievement.
It will seem like a backhanded compliment at best, but it is intended sincerely. John Morris’ greatest accomplishment in reaching 300 games is that he has reached the milestone as a utility; as a man without a best position and as a man who I’m guessing most fans would view as eminently replaceable.
It is this very sense of expendability that makes Morris’ achievement so impressive, even when compared to the greats. In an era of mega talents and under-20s prodigies, Morris is something of a throwback.
For 14 years he has continued to find a way to make himself valuable for NRL clubs, and that is no mean feat.
We can only hope his extraordinary achievement is duly celebrated this weekend and not swallowed by Origin hype.
BlakeM
Roar Rookie
I did not have any idea he was in line for his 300th game until this exact article. Never set the world on fire, but to make 300 games is an achievement in itself.
Lachlan Bickley
Roar Guru
Thanks for all the comments folks. I think the debate in the comments about his value (or otherwise) demonstrates exactly the point I was trying to make about the remarkable achievement of making 300 games as an 'everyman' type player
congratulating him on finding a way to keep the cheques coming in
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Well done on reaching 300 professional first grade rugby league games. And a pox on those who feel the need to bring down his achievement. Well done Mr. Morris.
Chopper
Guest
The bench is a place for utility players, not specialists - hence John Morris would get a spot. Jason Croker and Luke Ricketson started their careers as centres and finished in the forwards so they would be ideal for the bench. Unfortunately Scott Prince misses out - he's a specialist half-back in my opinion, can't cover any other positions.
peeeko
Roar Guru
ahead of prince, steve price or gerard? are you serious? all of them played for Australia. you have no props on your bench and 2 utility halves
Grey nurse shark
Guest
Yeah you all forget hes also studying to be a lawyer
Matthew Buxton
Roar Pro
I honeslty had no idea he was on 299 until I read it in the paper, and I thought it was a typo. I'm still in a bit of shock. He really doesn't compare with the others in the 300 club. In saying that, well done to him.
Chopper
Guest
Yep - he'd have a place on the bench in the 300-Club Team: 1 Darren Lockyer 2 Hazem El Masri 3 Brad Fittler 4 Ruben Wiki 5 Andrew Ettingshausen 6 Terry Lamb 7 Brett Kimmorley 8 Steve Price 9 Luke Priddis 10 Petero Civoniceva 11 Nathan Hindmarsh 12 Steve Menzies 13 Paul Langmack Interchange 14 Jason Croker 15 Luke Ricketson 16 Cliff Lyons 17 John Morris Reserves for Touring Squad 18 Scott Prince 19 Geoff Gerard
Tim Barnett
Roar Rookie
Fair play Chris..and a valid point..but you're still rubbish!!
Tim Barnett
Roar Rookie
Nice one Lachlan. He'll deserve this and any other comparably good tribute this weekend. I wasn't besotted with his Tigers stint and didn't kick the cat when he left, but I can't disparage the feat. It'd be more difficult to notch 300 as an average/workmanlike player than an all-timer! At multiple clubs too! Stalwarts and one-club legends get that extra year sometimes. Or two..
Josh Allerton
Roar Guru
Oh they'd definitely have footage... I don't know how much would be positive.. but there's footage!
George Walton
Guest
Good on him. A great trier and club man, every team needs them. He isn't a star but gives 100% almost all the time.
Chris
Guest
Is there a more stupid observation than "he's a better player than people commenting on the internet". The man is a professional football player. Obviously we are comparing him to other professional football players and not to a bunch of average blokes sitting behind a computer screen. The fact I personally couldn't make a park cricket side does not make the statement "Bryce McGain was a rubbish Test cricketer" invalid.
james
Guest
no doubt. he is a better player then I could have ever been. doesn't stop him from being painfully average and that I rate having Anasta over him.
Pudd
Guest
Bet he's played 300 more games than the critics here!! -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
josh
Roar Rookie
Made the mistake of picking him for fantasy footy once. Would Channel 9 or Fox have enough footage to compile a highlights package?
Squidward
Roar Rookie
So are congratulating him of putting the knife in his back?
I used to hate the bloke when he played for the Tigers. He was so vanilla. Never did anything except the occasional dropped bomb to give the win to the opposition. But this is a pretty fair article on what makes him unique within the game. Despite never possessing the most (or arguably any) skill, he has still found a way to keep getting payed. Honestly they should make an award for him. This is the guy who sits in the office so long that HR are too worried to ditch him because a) he's the only one who has been in the joint long enough to still remember how to fix the coffee machine/printer when it gets stuck, and b) they're hoping he retires or they'd probably have a MASSIVE redundancy payout on their hands. It's a huge achievement and I hope he feels really special, because he should. As above, I'm just so glad he's doing it for the Tigers retirement home and not my team!
james
Guest
any player that makes it to 300 has had a good run with not being injured. but as a Tigers fan who had to sit through 70ish of his game I can testify to how terribly average he is. for what ever reason Sheens picked him over and over again. congrats on making it to 300. I'm just happy it wasn't with us.