'Just doing my job': Brett Morris brushes off historic NRL pursuit
Veteran winger Brett Morris says his team comes before any personal records, after the Roosters flyer took another giant step towards chasing down one of the NRL's most impressive and long-standing records.
Morris' history-making hat-trick against the Wests Tigers on Sunday took his career tally of tries to 171 - just nine shy of Manly legend Steve Menzies, who is third on the all-time list.
GUILTY: Jarryd Hayne's bombshell verdict in sexual assault retrial
'NEEDS TO STOP': NRL champion calls out fan's disgusting abuse
CHAOS: Ivan Cleary among thousands evacuated from NSW floods
The 34-year-old started the season equal-fourth with Andrew Ettingshausen on 165 tries.
In the space of a fortnight he has added another six to his tally, becoming the first player in the game's history to open a season with back-to-back hat-tricks.
Melbourne Storm legend Billy Slater is second on the all-time tries list with 190 - a feat Morris could conceivably match this season if he keeps up his stunning try-scoring form for the Roosters.
Many are now even speculating that the evergreen winger could threaten the greatest try-scorer in Australian rugby league history, Ken Irvine, whose sits well clear at the top of the pile with 212 career tries.
Irvine has been at the top since he overtook Harold Horder in 1969, but his long-standing and once untouchable record may finally be in danger of being broken.
Morris doesn't know if he will play on in 2022 but, if he does, catching Irvine's 53-year-old mark isn't out of the question.
Morris says regardless of whether he retires short of the legendary mark, it will matter little to him.
"No (I won't care then either). To me I play footy because I love it," Morris said.
"I never played footy to set records or anything like that.
"I just wanted to play with my mates and win premierships and try and be that player you can rely on and never let your teammates down.
"The tries are a bonus to that. It's not something I sit at home thinking, 'oh I need to score so many tries this weekend or beat the next guy'. I just don't do that.
Morris unfazed by potential records
"I suppose that's for the media to keep me informed and it's probably good for the fans. But for me personally it's not something I spend a lot of time on."
The Kiama junior has seen a significant rise in getting the ball this year, with Luke Keary making the move to the right.
Tries have become so routine for Morris that when he claimed his hat-trick on Sunday, he barely celebrated.
The humble flyer downplayed his stunning form by heaping praise on his teammates for making his job easier.
"You only have to look at our side, I am on the end of a backline with Keary, (Joey) Manu and guys like that," Morris said.
"I'm just doing my job, they give me quality ball and I'm just doing my job to finish.
"If I don't score the try then you can spray me. That's my job, I get paid to score tries, I have to do it."
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
