Yesterday something very serious, and very sad, happened in the world of rugby league. The one and only John Andrew Morris announced his retirement.
The man from Scone, who until yesterday played in the Shire, made headlines earlier this year when he entered the rarefied air of the 300-game club.
A summit reached by only 18 other players in the history of first grade rugby league in Australia.
Included in the 300 game list are some of the greatest players to have strapped on a pair of boots, celebrated stars who have represented club, state and country. The best Morris ever managed was a couple of appearances for NSW country over a decade ago.
Sure, the other eighteen 300 gamers may have played rep footy, but Morris is a different kind of man. He’s a man who has, quite remarkably, played every single position on the rugby league field except prop forward during his 300 game career.
The plaudits for achieving 300 first grade games, particularly for someone who can be termed ‘a journeyman’, have been written several times over. Any player who cracks 300 games deserves his place in the history books. But Morris deserves more.
The Cronulla Sharks’ 2014 season has not been a happy one and for Sharkies fans there’s been little to cheer about. Injuries have ravaged the team, the spectre of ASADA still lingers, the captain gave the stand-in coach a retirement-inducing spray, and Todd Carney gave himself one.
Earlier in the season, when I heard of the neck injury Morris had suffered I was devastated, because what I really wanted, what any true rugby league fan would have wanted, was him to finish what he started and do what none of the other 18 men who played over 300 games could.
I wanted Morris to have played every single position on the park in first grade before he hung up the boots at the end of the season.
It wasn’t about setting records or making history. Morris has already done that. It was about giving the Cronulla fans something to cheer about.
It was about giving that undersized kid in under eights the belief that he could play first grade at prop forward too.
It was about looking up the word ‘utility’ in the dictionary and no longer seeing a picture of a Toyota Hilux but seeing the elegant jaw and incandescent smile of one John Andrew Morris.
Before Origin 2, Blues prop forward Aaron Woods said, “I want that first hit-up. I want it to be mine – that’s what you play footy for.”
I wanted to hear Morris utter those words.
Sadly, time has caught up with his body and an injury has robbed him of the opportunity to make even more history. What a glorious sight it would have been to see him running around in that number 8 jersey.
Morris has obviously made the right decision about retiring when the time is right, and congratulations to the man for a fine career. He will rightly be remembered as one of the stalwarts of the game and any bloke who has played over 300 games deserves every bit of recognition he receives.
But do us all a favour next weekend Morris, at least wear the #8 jersey for your lap of honour around Shark Park!
#Morrisin8
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