http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...brother-josh-at-canterbury-bulldogs-20140915-
St George Illawarra's Brett Morris seeks release to join brother Josh at Canterbury Bulldogs
Date
September 15, 2014 - 11:45PM
Michael Carayannis
Rugby League Writer
View more articles from Michael Carayannis
Follow Michael on Twitter Email
Brett Morris has requested a release from the final year of his contract with St George Illawarra to join Canterbury as a decision to allow the flyer to test his market value may backfire on the Dragons.
The Test winger wants to sign a long-term deal with the Bulldogs to join brother Josh, and his future is expected to be decided by Dragons coach Paul McGregor, who was appointed to the role full-time last month. It is understood Morris was last month encouraged to test his market worth by club management, which had suggested his contract which is believed to be $450,000 a season was above market value.
When Brett Morris dangled the bait, he hooked a big catch with the Bulldogs prepared to reunite the Morris brothers by offering Brett a deal believed to be worth $600,000 a season over four years. Brett Morris has grown so frustrated with the club he won a premiership with in 2010 that even if the Dragons force him to honour the final year of his deal, he could still sign with the Bulldogs for 2016 as soon as November 1.
The Bulldogs are sweating on Morris securing a release and joining the club for next season as they target the 28-year-old to solve their fullback woes. Fairfax Media understands McGregor and Dragons chief executive Peter Doust are torn on what to do with probably St George Illawarra's highest-profile player, who is just 12 tries behind Matt Cooper✓ as the club's leading try-scorer.
McGregor handed Morris the captaincy for two games late in the season when regular skipper Ben Creagh✓ was injured. Dragons players were called into one-on-one reviews with McGregor last week. Josh Morris left the Dragons in 2009, and the brothers have long wanted to play alongside each other again.
Josh said he would love his brother to sign with the Bulldogs. "There's plenty of speculation going about," Josh said. "I'd love to have him at the club. It'll be nice. That's not up to me. That's up to him and his management to talk it out. Whatever decisions he makes for his future, I'm always going to support."
Josh Morris who was off contract at the end of this year rejected an approach to return to the Dragons next season and re-signed with the Bulldogs until 2018. The Dragons have salary cap restraints, having spent big on halves Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall, and outside back Josh Dugan.Josh Morris said he "definitely" thought he would return to the Dragons at some stage.
"I was young back then and I didn't want to leave," Morris told Fairfax Media in March. "I always thought I'd end up back there."Certainly I had some thoughts to go back there again. Brett and I have wanted to play alongside each other and I had to take that into account. The discussions we've had with my manager and the Bulldogs have always been the Dragons have been the only other club. That's purely because we didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea. There were discussions with the Dragons and they were very interested but I think moving forward I've made the right decision."
St George Illawarra's Brett Morris seeks release to join brother Josh at Canterbury Bulldogs
Date
September 15, 2014 - 11:45PM
Michael Carayannis
Rugby League Writer
View more articles from Michael Carayannis
Follow Michael on Twitter Email
Brett Morris has requested a release from the final year of his contract with St George Illawarra to join Canterbury as a decision to allow the flyer to test his market value may backfire on the Dragons.
The Test winger wants to sign a long-term deal with the Bulldogs to join brother Josh, and his future is expected to be decided by Dragons coach Paul McGregor, who was appointed to the role full-time last month. It is understood Morris was last month encouraged to test his market worth by club management, which had suggested his contract which is believed to be $450,000 a season was above market value.
When Brett Morris dangled the bait, he hooked a big catch with the Bulldogs prepared to reunite the Morris brothers by offering Brett a deal believed to be worth $600,000 a season over four years. Brett Morris has grown so frustrated with the club he won a premiership with in 2010 that even if the Dragons force him to honour the final year of his deal, he could still sign with the Bulldogs for 2016 as soon as November 1.
The Bulldogs are sweating on Morris securing a release and joining the club for next season as they target the 28-year-old to solve their fullback woes. Fairfax Media understands McGregor and Dragons chief executive Peter Doust are torn on what to do with probably St George Illawarra's highest-profile player, who is just 12 tries behind Matt Cooper✓ as the club's leading try-scorer.
McGregor handed Morris the captaincy for two games late in the season when regular skipper Ben Creagh✓ was injured. Dragons players were called into one-on-one reviews with McGregor last week. Josh Morris left the Dragons in 2009, and the brothers have long wanted to play alongside each other again.
Josh said he would love his brother to sign with the Bulldogs. "There's plenty of speculation going about," Josh said. "I'd love to have him at the club. It'll be nice. That's not up to me. That's up to him and his management to talk it out. Whatever decisions he makes for his future, I'm always going to support."
Josh Morris who was off contract at the end of this year rejected an approach to return to the Dragons next season and re-signed with the Bulldogs until 2018. The Dragons have salary cap restraints, having spent big on halves Gareth Widdop and Benji Marshall, and outside back Josh Dugan.Josh Morris said he "definitely" thought he would return to the Dragons at some stage.
"I was young back then and I didn't want to leave," Morris told Fairfax Media in March. "I always thought I'd end up back there."Certainly I had some thoughts to go back there again. Brett and I have wanted to play alongside each other and I had to take that into account. The discussions we've had with my manager and the Bulldogs have always been the Dragons have been the only other club. That's purely because we didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea. There were discussions with the Dragons and they were very interested but I think moving forward I've made the right decision."
