Morris earns stripes at Richmond Reece Homfray
From: The Advertiser
September 14, 2012 11:30PMSTEVEN Morris took an unconventional route to the AFL and last week told Richmond fans they'd have to kick him out as an old man if he's to leave.
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Morris lived his childhood dream this year of playing at the elite level after being drafted as a father/son selection from West Adelaide where he spent four years.
The tough defender exceeded his expectations by playing 21 games and was recognised as the Tigers' best first-year player and seventh in the best-and-fairest.
At last week's presentation evening he told supporters that having waited so long, he wasn't going away in a hurry.
"My ideal scenario is I get to 32 years of age and they kick me out, that's a dream for me," Morris said.
"Obviously coming in at 23, my ideal scenario is to be an integral part of the team ... because I can see success coming as a footy club."
Arriving at Richmond as a mature-age draftee in November, Morris admitted he didn't know what to expect. And he revealed he did not have an in-depth discussion with coach Damien Hardwick until January.
"To be honest, I barely spoke to Dimma for three or four months," Morris said.
"But I quite liked it, I thought `this is a chance to go head down, bum up, train hard and gain the respect of the players and coaches'."
Hardwick obviously liked what he saw as Morris played 21 games and spent time on some of the game's most dangerous small forwards.
"Round one was unbelievable and I was probably a deer in the headlights but once you adjust to ... playing in front of big crowds, it certainly becomes easier.
"It took a lot longer to really feel like I belonged at that level but when you get a vote of confidence from the players that they want you in the team is when you really feel a part of it.
"That came in the mid-part of the season."
He counts his first win in round three against Melbourne and a goal and victory against Hawthorn in round nine as season highlights.
Morris said he might have focused on stepping up to AFL too much while at the Bloods where he won the 2011 best-and-fairest.
"I was adamant that I always wanted to play AFL footy, and Collo (coach Andy Collins) was often saying `just forget about that, enjoy your footy and focus on the things you can control'. And because I was so determined I probably focused on that too heavily rather than allowing the rest to come later."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/teams/morris-earns-stripes-at-richmond/story-e6frf9mx-1226474482479
