‘We could only laugh at injuries’
THERE wouldn’t have been much Josh Morris had seen over his illustrious 15 years in the NRL that made him laugh more than this season.
The champion centre bowed out of the game on Friday after the Sydney Roosters were ruthlessly beaten by Manly in their semi-final clash in Mackay.
The comprehensive defeat finally ended the Roosters’ courageous premiership tilt, where they overcame an insane injury crisis to reach the second week of the finals.
With every new injury, senior Roosters players would only look at each other and chuckle.
“We just had to laugh and when we were having conversations, we’re like ‘ who have we got?’ and we’d just be laughing that’s how dire it got at some stages,” veteran Morris said.
THERE wouldn’t have been much Josh Morris had seen over his illustrious 15 years in the NRL that made him laugh more than this season.
The champion centre bowed out of the game on Friday after the Sydney Roosters were ruthlessly beaten by Manly in their semi-final clash in Mackay.
The comprehensive defeat finally ended the Roosters’ courageous premiership tilt, where they overcame an insane injury crisis to reach the second week of the finals.
With every new injury, senior Roosters players would only look at each other and chuckle.
“We just had to laugh and when we were having conversations, we’re like ‘who have we got?’ and we’d just be laughing that’s how dire it got at some stages,” Morris (left) said.
“But whoever came in did a job, we debuted nine kids this year and they all did the jersey proud.
“While this season didn’t finish the way we wanted it to, we can be super proud of what this group has been able to achieve with the adversity that they’ve had in front of them.”
Roosters coach Trent Robinson lost key playmaker Luke Keary and rising forward Lindsay Collins to ACL injuries earlier in the season.
Then came the injury-induced retirements of Boyd Cordner and Jake
Friend due to concussion, a careerending ACL injury to winger Brett Morris and the more recent casualties of Joey Manu (facial fracture) and Sio Siua Taukeiaho (calf).
The wretched run of injuries forced Robinson to debut nine players this season, four of whom were teenagers, including whiz kid Sam Walker and prodigy Joseph Suaalii, who himself succumbed to a season-ending foot injury.
The 42-6 defeat drew a curtain on Morris’ 325-game career. Morris ends his career sitting 10th on the all-time scorers list and having represented his state and country. But one thing has eluded the 35-year old, a premiership ring.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” Morris said.