He was one of the most exciting players to watch in last year's Tom Nelson Premiership under 18s competition, and it turns out Eli Morris is more than capable of bringing the same magic to the senior level.
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The Lithgow Workies Wolves may have gone down to 44-22 to hosts Bathurst Panthers in the opening game of the 2024 Peter McDonald Premiership season on Saturday but Morris' hat trick was a standout performance in defeat.
Morris showed why he earned himself a run with the North Sydney Bears SG ball side this year with the way he helped Workies stay in the first round contest.
He had the Workies fans on their feet not even four minutes into the game when he picked up the opening try of the game.
It turned out to be all Panthers from that point and the hosts led 26-6 at the break, but Morris led a brief second half comeback.
Morris scored two almost identical tries in the second stanza - using a dummy and some fast footwork to slip through the defence - to end things on a positive note for a young Workies squad.
Workies show spirit
Lithgow brought up five former under 18s players up (Zane Harrington, Lachie Thompson, Kaidyn Whittaker, Hayden Rodham and Blake Goldspink) for their first taste of senior action in round one.
Morris, who already enjoyed first grade experience in 2023, showed experience beyond his years and gave his fellow young squad members a great template to work from.
"I think there's a lot of positives we can take out of that honestly. We're a very young side," he said.
"The last 20 minutes of that first half really cost us, with our attitude in defence, but there's a lot to take out of that second half.
"Our oldest player in the team is 26, and the average age is probably around 21. We've got a lot of guys coming through who played together last year and we'll keep building up our footy together."
The Kaidyn Whittaker and Morris halves combination is one of the youngest pairings that the PMP competition has seen in its short history.
However, the pair accounted for all four Workies tries and showed the same rapport in attack that helped take Lithgow's under 18s team all the way to last year's grand final.
"I love playing with 'Jacky' [Whittaker] because we came through together, so it feels like I can trust him all the time and that we're both on the same page," Morris said.
"When I want to do something he's already there, ready."
Lithgow travel to take on Orange Hawks in their next match.
Alexander Grant
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
