Morris embraces leadership role
LIKE A DUCK TO WATER: Tommy Morris has hit the ground running in his maiden year as a Roscommon senior hurler. Picture: Bernie O'Farrell
It says a lot about Tommy Morris’ leadership skills and quality that, in his first year in the Roscommon senior hurling panel, he was named as vice-captain.
For the talented dual player, leading a team isn’t a new phenomenon — he was vice-captain of the Roscommon U-20 footballers who reached last year’s Connacht final against Mayo.
Despite his relaxed demeanour, the Four Roads clubman admits that it is a huge honour to serve in a leadership role for his county. He also acknowledges that it is a special time for his family in the aftermath of himself and his brother Conor both making their intercounty debuts in the opening round of this year’s Division Three League against Wicklow.
“It is a great honour to be vice-captain. Even just to be involved with the team is a great privilege for me. To be involved in that leadership role, it gives me the confidence and the belief I need to be able to go out and hurl.
“It is great to see Conor doing well. Hurling means everything at home. You are talking over dinner, and it usually revolves around hurling, so it is great, especially when you have had a few good results and the team are going well. It is nice to see your brother involved and going well too.
“I am sure they (parents Mick and Una) are proud of us. Dad would have been involved with a lot of underage teams. Mam has done a lot of work in the background that might go under the radar. It is nice to see the hard work they have put in over the years paying off. After driving us up and down the country, now they’re seeing the two of us out there playing for Roscommon,” he noted.
The electrical engineering student at UCD has had to juggle football and hurling commitments over the past years. Despite his talents in the big ball code, Morris helped Roscommon reach All-Ireland U-20 B hurling finals in 2023 and 2024.
Despite defeats to Derry and Down respectively, Morris feels that Roscommon reaching those Richie McElligott Cup deciders in a three-year span from 2022 to 2024 has given the younger players belief.
“We lost the two of them, unfortunately, but they were great days out. That is the dream growing up, getting to play for your county in Croke Park. So, it was a great honour to play in the two of them even though we couldn’t get the better of Derry or Down. But Down are in Division 1B of the league and Derry are Division Two.
“Those are the teams we can get to. We know the talent is there in Roscommon, so it gives us great belief for the future,” the 20-year-old stated.
Morris has credited manager Brian Hanley for helping to foster a strong culture within the squad during his first year at the helm.
“The first week or two, it was a shock coming in and half an hour beforehand, and the lads would be there. You would be coming down from college and thinking you were in loads of time, but there were lads in there with their boots on and ready to go. After a week or two, you get used to it.
Morris admits that obtaining a win in Saturday’s promotion showdown with Donegal in King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park (throw-in at 2 p.m.) would set Roscommon up ideally for the Christy Ring Cup.
“It is always nice to get to a final while getting promotion would set us up well for championship. First year up in the Christy Ring, getting that promotion boost and having the confidence that we belong up here and we are able to hurl against these teams, it would be a massive boost heading into the remainder of the season,” he concluded.
