Morgan marks himself as one to watch
Morgan Dunn (centre) as one of three captains for the Northern Heat
Morgan Dunn has impressed the coaching staff at Southport Sharks following a five week trial at the club and will be monitored for future opportunities.
This is an incredible achievement for the local 18 year old considering that the vast majority of players he was trialing against were previously drafted to an AFL club and have spent several years on an AFL list.
Jarrod Field, General Manager of Football at Southport Sharks, said that Morgan exceeded their expectations of him. “When we offered the trial it was for two weeks and we thought that we’d be saying goodbye to him at the end of that time. The longer we went with the trial, the more he impressed us, not only with his ability but also his dedication. Morgan was often one of the first to training, regularly stayed back to do extras, and wasn’t afraid to ask the senior guys for advice on drills.”
Morgan was over the moon with the experience. “I loved every minute of the experience and learnt so much. Not just about footy, but about being an athlete in an elite environment and having to perform every time you step into the arena, including at training.
“This experience has made me keener than ever to go as far as I can in AFL. I did the HSC last year so I plan to take a gap year in 2021 and will look to relocate to either the Gold Coast, Southern NSW, or Victoria to play at the highest level possible.”
The Southport Sharks have offered to help Morgan link with one of their “feeder” clubs on the Gold Coast where he can be monitored with a view to trialing again later in the year.
One of the left field highlights of Morgan’s time with the Sharks was when the coaches set up a wrestling challenge for the whole squad. Morgan was able to beat all comers using techniques he learnt to wrangle rams in readiness for shearing!
The opportunity to trial at Southport came through Morgan’s involvement with the Northern Heat program. His efforts with the club will ensure that future opportunities will be extended to other Northern Heat players in future years.
