I first came to Scatcherd Lane in 1995 to play a pre-season friendly for Halifax Vandals against the 1st XV… we lost… heavily.
I hadn’t been playing rugby for long having played football when younger… I know most of you will say that explains a lot.

I thought; How can Rugby be that hard, especially at wing or full back… you’ll hardly ever have to tackle anyone… all you have to do is stay at the back… catch it and kick it back… how hard can it be? easy or at least I thought it was until I saw Karl Scarth play,

I returned to Morley 10 years later with Noah and we’ve been here ever since.
As a player, or coach, or team manager or even a supporter I’ve always thought that there is a massive difference between… Playing At Morley and Playing For Morley. It’s an attitude thing, some clubs have it and some don’t… We have it, we are Morley.

It is also clear that some players have it and some don’t and a season like this one has reinforced this. Let’s make no mistake it’s been a difficult year as I’m sure Mike will allude to later, the Club has taken a lot of hits, yet time and again we’ve come back fighting.

I’m reminded of the last 16 seasons each time I walk into the Back Bar. The ‘Team before Self’ collage is testament to how far we have come as a Club, the youngsters who are now Seniors, and those who have gone on to represent the 1st XV.

Team Before Self sums the Club up perfectly.

Look carefully you can see the 1st XV Vice-Captain, our very own Harry Bayliss, looking like a young Jonah Hill. His brother Luke tells me good looking runs through their genes. Which just proves that Luke is quicker than Harry as the good-looking gene obviously ran through the family so quickly that Harry couldn’t catch it.

It has been a big year for Harry, engaged to Molly, congratulations… How many of you lost money on that bet?
Also expecting to be a father any time now… we all lost money on that!
Harry, we’ve all seen you in the changing rooms, it’s obvious that Molly is marrying you for your money.

On a serious note, before we enjoy our meal and our evening.
The strengthening link between the Juniors, the Seniors and the Vets is good to see.

I got into an online spat earlier this year after the narrow defeat to Heath, some Keyboard Warrior was criticising the team and the Club.
I’d like to thank JD for backing me up in the argument and thank Mikey for adding a gif of Robert DeNiro in a kitchen throwing cabbage.
What I said to him is that the team and the club as a whole haven’t been a strong as this for at least 10 years.
Which is a bold statement as we had just been relegated From Nat 2 North in 2010-11. I believe it to be true.

The hard work that the Club has put in is producing results, The Club Officials, the Senior Committee, the coaches, kit men, ground staff the list is almost endless. However, for me the Junior Section is where this hard work is most easily seen.

From almost nothing to what we have now is remarkable. Chairmen like: Ian Grattan, Steve Mohun, Rodger Lambert, Mark Burrow, Rob Horsfield and Andy Poyner with Stuart Calvert and Jon Leathley, they have driven the Club forward from the bottom up. There are others, again the list is almost endless, to name a few; Mark Earnshaw, Clair Wilson, Simon Fink, Martin Heywood the debt we owe these, and others is huge.

Putting it simply, the Club is stronger now than it was 10 years ago and going forward will only get stronger.
Next season we will expect to have three Senior teams and a Veterans team, we will have Colts and teams at most junior age groups right the way down to minis.

What did we have 10 years ago?

As you enjoy the evening, I would ask you all to remember this, we are all standing upon the shoulders of Giants. Nevertheless, it’s not a free ride, there are expectations of us all to Paraphrase JFK:
“Ask not what your club can do for you – ask what you can do for your club,”

The number of Colts that the club has produced that have gone onto play for the Seniors and the 1st XV is remarkable, particularly in the last few seasons, this is the strength in depth that the Club can rightly be proud of.

Ady Farmery a very long time ago coached his son Andy and others into the Senior section. There was Gary Sheldon and Paul Ashton who brought through great players such as Tom Richmond, Jason Proctor and Joe Rogers.

Maurice Parker, gave us James Dinsdale. John Firth coached Joe Firth, Alex Geaney and a host of others. Mike Bowen provided us with George, Ted, Chips, Ed Kelly, Harrison.

Nick Green won the Yorkshire Cup with Connor Stephenson, George Kelly, Will Howarth, Alex Stretton, Noah and surprisingly brought us Dan Cass the Silent Assassin

Rob Horsfield recently blooded Marcus Abbot, Jamie Silkstone, Will Kinder and Jack Gilmartin and this season Martin Heywood has brought through U17’s Tom Heywood, Mikey Ryan and Ben Watson.

The success of these coaches and players should be celebrated.

Yet I cannot help having the nagging doubt that for all the back slapping we; as a club, are missing something fundamental to the health of any team or club, especially a rugby club.
It is not about who you have playing for you, it should be about who isn’t playing for you.

I mentioned 8 Colts Teams from the past, all successful in their own way, that should be over 150 players…

Where are they?
Why aren’t they playing rugby?
Why aren’t they at Morley?

It is a truism to say that at any function you go to there is always a request for money, but not tonight.

I still want you to put your hands into your pockets, but I don’t want your wallets.
Pull out your address books or contact lists and commit to phoning two or three past players that we have lost touch with, invite them back.
To play, to train, to drink as a Club we shouldn’t care we owe it to ourselves and to others to share what we have at Morley and grow the Club still further.

Ask not what your club can do for you – ask what you can do for your club, you now know.