Brett Morris scores 31-minute hat-trick on debut for Sydney Roosters vs Wigan
Brett Morris has made a sensational start to life as a Sydney Rooster, scoring a hat-trick in little over half an hour as the NRL premiers beat Super League champions Wigan 20-8 in the World Club Challenge.
Morris scored in the fourth minute, ninth minute and 32nd minute as the Roosters claimed a 14-4 half-time lead at Wigan's DW Stadium.
Playing left centre, the former Test winger proved he still has plenty of speed and power at age 32. Morris was named man of the match for the second time in the fixture, having won the gong for the Dragons in 2011, and became just the third man to score a WCC hat-trick (joining Michael Jennings, 2014, and Joe Burgess, 2017).
He embarrassed the Wigan defence by shrugging off several opponents for his first try in the corner, slammed the ball down when he really should have been held up for his second, then slashed through to score his third after receiving the ball from Luke Keary on a shift to the left.
"He's going to be a great buy for the Roosters," Andrew Johns said on Channel Nine commentary of the former Dragons, Bulldogs, NSW and Kangaroos star.
"When he gets the ball in space, [you see] his speed and power.
"He'll play [wing] outside [star centre] Latrell [Mitchell]."
Brett Morris goes over for his first try in the World Club Challenge. Getty
Brett Morris celebrates his first try against Wigan in the World Club Challenge. Getty
Morris was a key pick-up for the Roosters this season after top winger Blake Ferguson departed for Parramatta. He could not have made a more emphatic start for his new club, which claimed the WCC title for a record-equalling fourth time.
Daniel Tupou scored in the 77th minute for the Roosters to seal victory. The Roosters' defence was typically tidy against Wigan, while Luke Keary and Cooper Cronk pulled the strings.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was a constant aggressor, even starting a first-half scuffle when he smashed two Wigan opponents within one play.
