DESPITE the Kiama Knights making back-to-back first grade Group Seven grand finals, one of their top products Dylan Morris has been forced to watch on from the sidelines – albeit a few minutes at the death in the 2018 decider.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But that won’t be the case for the son of former Australian player Steve ‘Slippery’ Morris in 2019, as the 20-year-old has signed on to make his full-time return to the Knights.
After helping Kiama win the under 18s Group Seven premiership undefeated in 2016, Morris has played the majority of the past two seasons, apart from the odd game with the Knights, with the St George Illawarra Dragons under 20s side – following in the footsteps of both his half-brothers Josh and Brett Morris.
“During my time with the Dragons, the biggest thing I learnt was to bring consistency with everything I do – they really drilled that into you,” Morris said.
“It’s just the little one per centers at training like making times and running the right lines, which are the main things I really learned over the years.
“And although I’ve been a part of the Knights the past couple of years, I didn’t attend any training sessions or anything in the last two years, as I had commitments with the Dragons – so really I haven’t been fully committed to the club since my debut season in 2016.”
But as he wasn’t offered a spot in the Dragons Intrust Super Premiership squad, Morris jumped at the chance to pull on the red, black and white once again.
“I’m super stoked to be back in the club full-time,” he said.
“The family environment in the club is the strongest I’ve ever been a part of.
“OB [Matt O’Brien] really built a family club when he was coaching and with Clarkey [Matt Clarke] building on what OB started, it helped all the boys buy into the cause.
“You can tell by how well all the boys bond together off the field and how all the boys we attract to the club from the country want to stick around – it’s just that good of a club.”
While Morris admits the senior squad is as strong as he’s seen it, he hopes he can be the missing piece as Kiama chase their first premiership in the top grade since 1985.
“There’s not much I have to bring to the club – we have a really good team side where everyone can pull something off,” he said.
“I’ve just got to really focus on my defence and not let any of the boys down.
“I’ve just got to stay patient and do what’s best for the team but when the time comes to pull something out of the hat, then I have to make sure I deliver.”
Dylan, who will join by his brother Matt in the Knights first grade side, still hurts from the two losses on grand final day, even though he was largely a non-factor in both contests – firstly to Jamberoo 18-14 in 2017 before falling to Shellharbour 32-22 in last year’s decider.
“The first year against Jamberoo probably hurt the most cause I didn’t qualify under the group’s rules,’ Morris said.
“I remember being in the shed before the game so upset and it was even more upsetting because of how close they actually were to winning that grand final.
“Last year was tough – we were the underdogs coming into the game and I’d only played a handful of games that year.
“Personally, I was coming a hamstring injury a few weeks before in the Jersey Flegg final but it was just awesome to be apart of.
“Obviously we didn’t win – that Shellharbour side was a very strong side and you couldn’t take anything away from them – but seeing all the boys after on the ground, especially my brother Matty, was real tough.
“It just made me and all the boys want it that much more coming into this year.”
Morris is just one of three key inclusions to the Knights side for 2019, with both Tom Angel and Luke Chalker returning to the Kiama Showground based club.
“With myself, Tom [Angel] and Luke [Chalker] all coming back to the club after strong under 20s seasons in recent years, hopefully we can bring that little bit of extra spark that gets us lifting the trophy above our heads come September,” Morris said.
The Knights will open their season against local rivals the Superoos on Sunday, April 7 at the Kiama Showground.