Morris twins to consider England if salary cap issues force them out of Canterbury

THE Morris boys’ manager David Riolo has confirmed England is on the radar for the twin siblings if Canterbury’s salary cap issues force them out of Belmore.

Josh Morris of the Bulldogs (right) celebrates with brother Brett (left) after scoring a try during the Round 3 NRL match between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Penrith Panthers at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Friday, March 23, 2018. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

JOSH and Brett Morris’s manager David Riolo has confirmed England is on the radar for the twins if Canterbury’s salary cap issues force them out of Belmore.

The Morris boys face uncertain futures due to a number of back ended-deals that have left the Bulldogs with approximately $750,000 for recruitment and retention in 2019.

This is problematic for Josh and Brett, who are taking home a combined $1.3 million this season.

With the likes of Jeremy Marshall-King, Greg Eastwood, Clay Priest and Zac Woolford also off-contract, it leaves the Morris twins in a precarious position.

The brothers will either have to take less money or finish their illustrious careers at another club.

Could the Morris twins be forced out of Canterbury.

Riolo told The Daily Telegraph the brothers would like to stay at Canterbury, but they understand and respect the Bulldogs’ cap predicament.

“Josh and Brett both want to keep playing,” Riolo said.

“If not at Canterbury, they would also consider England.

“You are a long time retired. They’ve had a few nibbles from there already and it is something they’d definitely consider especially if the cap situation made it really difficult to stay there.

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“It will also be about whether the Bulldogs can afford them and how much they will put to certain positions.

“But it’s only round 6 and they are realistic that we won’t be making a decision yet.”

Meanwhile, Josh Morris is on the cusp of history in his milestone match against the Roosters on Thursday.

On top of playing in his 250th NRL game, Morris requires one try to join Hazem El Masri (159) and Terry Lamb (123) as the only players to score 100 tries for the Bulldogs.

It will be a special achievement for 31-year-old, who has also scored 23 representative tries for Country, NSW and Australia.

Morris could join former teammate El Masri as one of the few Bulldogs players to score 100 tries.

In other news, Roosters coach Trent Robinson passionately defended under-fire Jake Friend.

The hooker has faced strong criticism from fans following the Tricolours’ inconsistent start to the season, but Robinson says he has the club’s full faith.

“I think Jake has been our best performer on a couple of occasions, then he had a game he didn’t want to have last week,” Robinson said.

“A couple of players have said it, it’s really hard for us after (Friend’s) 200-odd games, and the way Jake plays, he’s our captain and our captain for a reason, and there are a lot of things he does in a game people don’t see and we do.

“We’ve had a chat. Jake is a man now. He understands what he wants out of the game. We’ve had a look at last week, and a lot of it is because we’re trying to do lot of things right, and sometimes over-trying in some areas.

“That same character will stand up again. He’s stood up for over 200 games, and people know when they stand next to Jake what they will get ... we’ll continue to trust him.”

Originally published as Morris twins to consider England if salary cap issues force them out of Canterbury