By RUSSELL BENNETT
KOOWEERUP legend Rhys Morgan was born two months after the club’s last senior footy flag in 1981.
And now, with the Demons on the verge of an exciting finals campaign, he can’t wait to get stuck in. After all – it’ll be his last chance in the red and the blue.
He’s set to move with his family to Echuca at the end of the year and, while he’ll no doubt be back sooner or later, it won’t be to play.
It was suitably understated but Morgan played his last game at Denhams Road on Saturday – with Kooweerup’s last home-and-away fixture of 2014 at Catani this week and the second semi-final, against Cora Lynn, to be played at the same venue.
Saturday’s clash with Garfield started worryingly for Morgan. He copped a knock on his surgically repaired leg which, in his words, “didn’t tickle”.
But he went on to play a key role in a gutsy Demons’ win, despite the side being outplayed in many areas.
“I have to tick every box to be out there at my age,” said the battle-hardened 32-year-old former captain and coach.
“If you’re 22 or 23 you come back from those things a lot quicker than when you’re 32 or 33!”
Morgan has plates and pins inserted in his leg to repair a break he suffered in the pre-season against Longwarry, and the 300-plus gamer (he can’t remember exactly how many he’s played) didn’t return to the Demons’ senior line-up until Round 18.
He might not have the conditioning he once did, but now he’s back he’s determined to make every post in the rest of his playing career a winner.
“Coming back in was a bit weird,” the six-time club best-and-fairest winner admitted.
“You come in and everyone is fully fit and ready to go and I just had to slot in and try and catch up. It was like playing my first game – pretty exciting.”
On the eve of the finals, Morgan acknowledged this could be the best Demons side he’s ever played in since he came into the club under the guidance of established players such as current president Tony Cammarano. Morgan has since played alongside youngster Bailey Galante, who he’s pretty sure wasn’t even born when he made his debut. It’s now the younger players, such as Jack Carson, Ryan Wilby and Nathan Voss who are the future of the club and Morgan couldn’t be happier.
“You don’t even realise you’re getting older, yourself, but you blink your eyes and you’re 20 years into your footy career and it’s all over,” Morgan said, content that he’ll be leaving the side with plenty of good years ahead of it.
He doesn’t even have any trophies from his individual awards – he says he hasn’t kept them. But there is one that would take pride of place if the Demons were lucky enough to go all the way this year – a premiership medal.
