Teenager certain to come into contention as Bulldogs search for replacements for Brett, Josh Morris
CANTERBURY have been busy locking up replacements for the departing Morris twins but it’s a teenage flyer coming through the ranks at Belmore that fans should be dreaming on.
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CANTERBURY have been busy locking up replacements for the departing Morris twins but it’s a teenage flyer coming through the ranks at Belmore that fans should be dreaming on.
The club have signed Penrith’s Christian Crichton and Newcastle’s Nick Meaney for 2019 in preparation for life without the Morris’.
But Josh Morris told News Corp Australia that a relative unknown could be the one to light up the Bulldogs’ backline next year.
“Morgan Harper has been playing a bit of Intrust Super Premiership,” he said.
“He’s one that the club has an eye on.
“It will be interesting to see what this young roster can do with a good pre-season under their belt going into next year. Anything is possible.
“There will be plenty of spots up for grabs.
“He’ll have to work hard and there’s no reason why he can’t get his foot in the door for round one.”
In 2017, Harper moved from New Zealand to pursue his dream of playing NRL football.
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He played in the Bulldog’s NYC team last year before graduating into the Intrust Super Premiership side in 2018, where he’s played 11 games.
Centre Kerrod Holland also endorsed the young speedster, praising his commitment and work ethic.
“We have a young kid, Morgan Harper, I think he might still be eligible for under 20s and he’s been playing NSW Cup for us, too.
“He’s coming through and will do a full pre-season with us. He’s definitely one to look out for,” he said.
“He’s about the same size as me, he’s a super defender and he’s got some skill with the ball too.
“Obviously he’s still got some things to work on but he’ll benefit from training with us full-time in the pre-season.”
Hailing from Hamilton, Harper, first caught the eye of Bulldogs scouts as a 15-year old and was brought into their high performance unit back in New Zealand.
Harper’s ability is backed by an impressive pedigree. He has both rugby league and rugby union coursing through his veins.
His great grandfathers, George Loveridge and Joe Menzies, played for the All Blacks and the New Zealand Kiwis.
He made the move to Sydney, leaving behind his baby twins, in the hope of creating a better life for his young family.
The goalkicking outside back will be moved onto a development contract in 2019 and it is expected he’ll be promoted into a top 30 contract the year after that.
Holland says the competition for positions in Dean Pay’s backline heading into next year will be stiff.
But he is banking on the relationship currently being built with his winger Reimis Smith to secure their spots next season.
“We want to keep that combination. Reimis is a great player and he’s one of the players the club is looking at for the future here. If I can get a good combination going that will be good for us moving forward,” he said.