Off contract Bulldogs Brett, Josh Morris want to play beyond season 2018
BRETT and Josh Morris have accepted the reality that back ended deals will squeeze them out of Belmore but the outside backs, who have played a combined 475 NRL games, say retirement is not an option.
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BRETT and Josh Morris have ruled out retirement saying they have a ‘couple of years’ of footy left in them.
The brothers are set to be squeezed out of Belmore at the end of this season due to salary cap restraints caused by back ended deals.
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It’s believed Canterbury have little wriggle room in the cap for next year and can’t afford the $1.5 million dollars a season the outside backs are currently earning at the Bulldogs.
Both players want to play on and are actively seeking opportunities elsewhere — including the English Super League
“I’ve spoken to my manager about playing on, he’s out there at the moment trying to find out whether clubs are interested or not,” Brett said.
“I’m not fussed to be honest. I understand that rugby league is a business and there are certain restraints on salary caps and that sort of thing and sometimes you do have to move on.
“I suppose the way you look at it is, if you read all the stuff about the salary cap it just becomes ‘oh well, it looks like I can’t stay so I’ll go somewhere else’.
“You’d be naive to think you can stay here when things like that going on.”
Josh, a veteran of 252 NRL games, says the state of Canterbury’s salary cap is ‘disappointing’ and that sometimes clubs fall into the trap of chasing success at any cost.
“Who do you blame? [for back ended deals]. The player is not going to say no to it,” he said.
“The clubs just want to do what they can to get success.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
“If we’d won a premiership in the last couple of years then you’d look at it a bit differently. “These things happen and clubs have to figure out a way around it.”
A decision about their playing futures will be made over the next month and Josh, 30, has revealed they won’t be going to the market as a package deal.
“He’s got a family and I’ve got a family now, so it’s about doing what is the best for mine and his family,” he said.
“If that’s not playing together then so be it.
“It’ll be nice to finish off together but you don’t always get your own way.”
Winger Brett, who is in his 13th season of NRL and has been a long-time servant for New South Wales and Australia is optimistic about extending his playing career but says he’d have no ill-feeling about his time ending prematurely.
“I feel like I’ve had a pretty good career and if it all ended tomorrow I could walk away from the game with my head held high,” he said.
“For me personally I wouldn’t be offended, it’s probably not the ideal way you’d see things going.”