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FOR so long the Morris twins were the fresh-faced excitement machines.
So it is a little hard to believe they are now the oldest players in the Canterbury squad following the off-season departure of club captain James Graham.
Josh and Brett Morris — along with Greg Eastwood — are the only current Bulldogs aged 30-plus, with Josh also the longest-serving current player as he prepares to celebrate 10 years at the club.
Morris never feared for his future despite rumblings suggesting he and Brett were being shopped around by the club to help deal with Canterbury’s salary cap woes.
“I was always confident,” Josh said. “There were never any discussions with my manager about potentially moving on. If those conversations had arisen I would’ve been a bit more worried.
Josh and Brett Morris are now the oldest Bulldogs players at the club following the departure of James Graham. Picture: Gregg Porteous
“There weren’t any whispers coming towards me. I thought I would be fine. Lucky it has panned out that way.
“I thought my football was OK in the circumstances we had last season. I didn’t think I needed to worry too much. It was probably a bit naive of me because football is a business and players do get moved on.
“I thought if something was going to happen the club would’ve spoken to me and told me straight away and I would’ve been able to deal with that situation.
“I’m now the oldest at the club with (Graham) leaving.
“It’s an effort to play 10 years of first grade and to play it at one club is something I’ve very proud of. It probably wasn’t something I envisaged when I was starting out at the Dragons. I’m very proud to be a Bulldog.”
Morris, who is off contract at the end of next year, will make a decision on his future after the first month of next season.
Young faces but old heads... Brett and Josh Morris are the voices of experience at the Bulldogs now. Picture: Mark Evans
“We’ll see after the first few rounds,” he said. “My body still feels good and in my mind I still feel a bit younger.”
The changing face of the youthful squad is only one part of the Bulldogs’ rebuild. Coach Dean Pay has brought with him an old-school approach with the players being flogged after returning from their preseason break. And they are also revamping their much maligned attack. “(The legs) are sore,” said Morris, who joined the rest of the Bulldogs squad to march in support of White Ribbon Day in Lakemba on Friday.
“I’m another year older so you get a bit sorer and you have to be right on top of your rehab.
“It’s about getting those kilometres in your legs. We want to be a really fit side.
“The attack is already a bit different. It’s one thing we struggled with this year — our execution at crucial times. It’s something we still need to work on and make sure we’re getting the last pass right when we get ourselves into try-scoring opportunities.”
So it is a little hard to believe they are now the oldest players in the Canterbury squad following the off-season departure of club captain James Graham.
Josh and Brett Morris — along with Greg Eastwood — are the only current Bulldogs aged 30-plus, with Josh also the longest-serving current player as he prepares to celebrate 10 years at the club.
Morris never feared for his future despite rumblings suggesting he and Brett were being shopped around by the club to help deal with Canterbury’s salary cap woes.
“I was always confident,” Josh said. “There were never any discussions with my manager about potentially moving on. If those conversations had arisen I would’ve been a bit more worried.
Josh and Brett Morris are now the oldest Bulldogs players at the club following the departure of James Graham. Picture: Gregg Porteous
“There weren’t any whispers coming towards me. I thought I would be fine. Lucky it has panned out that way.
“I thought my football was OK in the circumstances we had last season. I didn’t think I needed to worry too much. It was probably a bit naive of me because football is a business and players do get moved on.
“I thought if something was going to happen the club would’ve spoken to me and told me straight away and I would’ve been able to deal with that situation.
“I’m now the oldest at the club with (Graham) leaving.
“It’s an effort to play 10 years of first grade and to play it at one club is something I’ve very proud of. It probably wasn’t something I envisaged when I was starting out at the Dragons. I’m very proud to be a Bulldog.”
Morris, who is off contract at the end of next year, will make a decision on his future after the first month of next season.
Young faces but old heads... Brett and Josh Morris are the voices of experience at the Bulldogs now. Picture: Mark Evans
“We’ll see after the first few rounds,” he said. “My body still feels good and in my mind I still feel a bit younger.”
The changing face of the youthful squad is only one part of the Bulldogs’ rebuild. Coach Dean Pay has brought with him an old-school approach with the players being flogged after returning from their preseason break. And they are also revamping their much maligned attack. “(The legs) are sore,” said Morris, who joined the rest of the Bulldogs squad to march in support of White Ribbon Day in Lakemba on Friday.
“I’m another year older so you get a bit sorer and you have to be right on top of your rehab.
“It’s about getting those kilometres in your legs. We want to be a really fit side.
“The attack is already a bit different. It’s one thing we struggled with this year — our execution at crucial times. It’s something we still need to work on and make sure we’re getting the last pass right when we get ourselves into try-scoring opportunities.”
Steve Morris must be beside himself.
