Flying Dragons and Australian winger Brett Morris says he can't wait for the Kangaroos to play a Test during the post-season Four Nations at Wollongong's WIN Stadium on Sunday, November 9.
Born and bred in nearby Kiama, Morris is thrilled at the prospect of suiting up to play in the Kangaroos' first ever Test in Wollongong against the winner of the mid-season Test between Fiji and Samoa in the coming weeks.
The 27 year-old Morris, who has appeared 156 times for the Dragons and 18 times for Australia, describes the potential Test appearance at WIN Stadium as a huge honour.
"I've played a lot of footy at the stadium growing up and it's the place that I have played some of my best football. If I had the opportunity to play for Australia in front of my family and hometown friends – it would be a huge honour," Morris told NRL.com.
"To play a Test match on pretty much your home ground would be something I would never forget if I had the opportunity – I've played grand finals here growing up so I've had a lot of success on this field. Being a rep game it would be a fairly significant game that I would remember."
Off the back of being a part of a World Cup victory with Australia, Morris – who scored nine tries to be the equal leading try-scorer of the tournament to add to his impressive tally of 21 at Test level – entered 2014 with the goal of maintaining his form for the Dragons.
In what has been a relatively positive start to the Dragons' season, with three wins in their five games, Morris has ticked off a personal achievement having crossed the white stripe for his 100th first-grade try in Round 2 against the Sharks.
"The World Cup was a great way to finish off the year. I've just looked to continue my form from the tournament this year and try and play the best footy I possibly can for the Dragons. So far it's been alright but it's a long year so hopefully I can maintain my form for the whole season," Morris said.
"We started the year reasonably well. Obviously we had the three wins first up and we probably haven't played our best the last two weeks. We're in the top eight which is where we want to be. We've got a very young side so there's still a bit of a learning curve going but we're going alright.
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"Personally, obviously I'm very proud to score 100 tries for the club – it's a huge achievement. I'm glad I got that out of the way so I don't have to worry about it and now I can just concentrate on playing the best footy I can."
While they went down 26-6 to South Sydney at the SCG last weekend, Morris believes that their defeat was a consequence of his side's poor discipline, having conceded 11 penalties and not sticking to coach Steve Price's game plan.
"We didn't play how we've played the last couple of weeks. Our discipline has been pretty good [previously] so I think that was one area that let us down. We probably just went away from what was working for us the last couple of rounds and it's something we'll be looking to correct come this week," Morris said.
Moving forward to Round 6, the Dragons will head south to Melbourne to play at AAMI Park on Monday night, Morris agreeing that it doesn't get much tougher especially considering the Storm will be looking to bounce back from two straight losses.
"It's one of the toughest trips you'll do going down to Melbourne to play there. They're a quality football side; they have got a wonderful coach and they have got some big name players," Morris noted.
"That whole 13 that's on the field at a time – they work really well as a team. We're going to have our hands full come Monday night. They have strike power all over the park – it's always a tough journey and they're always up for it whenever we play there."
Hear what the Coach says ahead of the clash against the @storm on Monday: http://t.co/y7vv5J1sHb #redv pic.twitter.com/lXT6hLVGup
— The Dragons (@NRL_Dragons) April 11, 2014While Morris is looking to consolidate his spot on the wing for the upcoming representative fixtures, he must tread carefully around his opposite winger, Fijian flyer Sisa Waqa on Monday night.
Waqa, who has six times already this season, continues to improve under the tutelage of Storm mentor Craig Bellamy and star players Cronk, Smith and Slater.
