Adrian Morley is a Great Britain [GB] & England legend – recognised for being one of the hardest hitters in the international game.
The passion and pride whenever he pulled on a Lions jersey was clear for all to see, especially when it came to facing the Australians.
Morley has faced the Aussies a grand total of 20 times; winning two games in the 2004 and 2006 Tri-Nations. And he’s part of the generation who played in the last Ashes series, back in 2003.
With the Ashes revived for 2025, this has stirred so many memories of the previous. The Kangaroos have not toured England since 2003, and nobody can ever forget how excruciatingly close GB came in all three of these test matches.
Australia may have won the series 3-0, but they had to come from behind to win in every game. GB lost the first test by a margin of four points (18-22), the second by three (20-23) and the last by six (12-18), in a truly pulsating, but bruising affair.
Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer was one of the main reasons for GB’s heartbreak that year, after he touched down for the match-winning try in the last five minutes of the opening test, snatching victory underneath the feet of the hosts. He’d go on to inflict further damage in the next two tests.
It’s over 20 years in the making, and with the hotly anticipated first test taking place next month, Morley welcomes the return of such an iconic series:
“It’s the oldest and fiercest rivalry in rugby league,” Morley said, who earned over 50 caps for his country, and played on both sides of the world in a stellar 20-year career.
“It’s the old enemy and there is no better test for an Englishman or British player than to play against the Aussies.
“A three-game series was something that I was brought up on and it’s been too long since we had one. I can’t wait for it, and let’s hope it lives up to everyone’s expectations.”
But what exactly did it mean to Morley to play against the Australians?
“Australia were regarded as the best team in the world, which they still are today,” admitted Morley.
“You’re putting yourself up against the best players in the world. When you’re lining up with the best players in your competition for your country – it’s very hard to describe the feeling, you know, singing the national anthem and the pride and then the elation that’s going through your body.
“It’s absolute fantastic and it’s certainly the highlight of my rugby league career. I used to cherish and relish those moments.”
As a new generation prepare to take the field in the next chapter of the Rugby League Ashes, Morley emphasised its importance:
“The Ashes will be the biggest test and the biggest game you can play in as an international English or British player.
“When you get a chance to play for your country against the very best, it always brings out the best in you.”
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for the current England side. We’ve not had a three-game series against the Aussies for a very long time, and I think it shows what it means to the British public with how they’ve come out in their numbers to get tickets.
“I think England have got a great chance of claiming the Ashes this time – and not just snatching a victory.”
But the former prop forward is under no illusion of how hard the contest is going to be:
“It’s going to be tough. They [Australia] are regarded as the best and the fact that we haven’t won an Ashes series since 1970 goes to show just how tough a proposition it is.
“We’re going to have to go out there and give it our all. And I think if the British public can get behind them, then hopefully we can get it done.”
Indeed, it has certainly been a long time coming, and although Morley never got the chance to taste victory in an Ashes series, he recalls his favourite winning memory against Australia in the 2006 Tri-Nations:
“I played against the Aussies a lot, but I only ever had three victories against them,” said Morley.
“One of them was a famous victory in 2006. It was Down Under in the Aussies’ backyard.
“It was at the Sydney Football Stadium and that was my home ground for the Sydney Roosters for a number of years. That made it extra special for me.
“Nobody gave us a chance in that test, but we went out there and ended up giving the Aussies a good hiding. That was certainly the one of the highlights of my international career and I have very, very fond memories of that win.”
You won’t find a fiercer competitor than Adrian Morley. He was the toughest of characters on a rugby league field – and perhaps this was epitomised by his infamous red card for a high shot on the Kangaroos' Robbie Kearns in the 2003 Ashes opener.
We couldn’t leave that one out. Morley saw just 12 seconds of the first test at Wigan, before being sent off in dramatic fashion.
“Who can forget that first test in 2003?” Morley sighed as he began to explain. “I was playing in Australia for the Sydney Roosters at the time. I’d just had a great year, and I'd just played in the Grand Final and got the Player of the Year Award at the Roosters.
“I felt on top of my game, so I felt it was my duty to show my British teammates how to handle the Aussies.
“At the time of the collision, I just wanted to put the biggest shot I've ever put on and I got it wrong. I went too hard, too fast. Kearns did put a side-step on, and I put the arm out.
“Unfortunately, it caught him on the jaw. I did think the referee would just play on and put it on report and let the judiciary decide during the week. But [Steve] Ganson had other ideas.
“It was a terrible, terrible shot, but it was a test match, and it was against the Aussies. The fact I got sent off with the magnitude of what that match was - I thought the Aussies were there for the taking.
“To get sent off in that manner was devastating, I couldn’t believe it. I was absolutely distraught in the changing rooms, and inconsolable. It was really tough to take – we were beating the Aussies for 75 minutes of that test match and if we'd have won, then it wouldn’t have been half as bad.
“But unfortunately, they found a way to win. I felt hugely responsible for that loss. It was heartbreaking.”
GB gave blood, sweat and tears in 2003, but they still couldn’t quite crack down Australia.
“The whole series was tough to take because we were winning every test at some point, and they just found a way to win.
“I know it’s an 80-minute game and you have to play for the full duration, but it was hard because I think that was the best Great Britain side I had ever played in, and we still weren’t quite good enough.
“On another day and on another occasion, we could have nicked a win. We could have won the Ashes, but it was it wasn't to be. I thought it was the one that got away.”
This is just like the generation before him, who believed the 1990s Ashes Series was also ‘the one that got away.’
Can this reoccurring theme finally be brought to an end?
England will once again aim to end Australia’s Ashes dominance in 2025 – a run that is a whopping 55-years long.
But what do they need to do to overcome their nation's rivals?
“I think to beat he Aussies you’ve just got to fight fire with fire with the home advantage. I can’t stress enough how important that's going to be. We need to get big crowds, big English vocal crowds. That will certainly have an effect.
“It will give the English lads a boost and it will hopefully be a bit of a deterrent for the Aussies. So, we need big support.
“Every England player needs to perform, be on top of their game and just rip in.”
Morley is going to be in attendance at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 25 October – a venue that has historically been a happy hunting ground for opening Ashes series tests.
And he calling on all England fans to be there in their numbers:
“We’ve got a great history at Wembley. The first test is so important – the Aussies will have come over and won’t have played a game yet, and then there’s the conditions and the huge English crowd.
“Let’s hope we can get a huge crowd at Wembley – it could make a massive difference and home advantage could be one of our key factors. I’m getting excited just talking about it and I’m going to go to all three tests.”
Will you be there to witness history as England search for their first Ashes Series victory since 1970?
Rivalries will be reignited when England take on Australia in the ABK Beer Rugby League Ashes this autumn. The two nations will meet in a three-match test series over 20 years in the making and with the second and third test completely SOLD OUT; Wembley Stadium on Saturday 25 October is your only place to watch this fierce rivalry live!
Book your Wembley tickets here with prices starting from just £20 for adults and £10 for U16’s.
