“IT’S BEEN tough at times. It’s never good to have your own supporters getting into you. But they pay their money to the games and they’re able to voice their own opinions - that’s fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But for me personally, it’s a challenge just to get out there each week and play my best footy and hopefully prove the doubters wrong. Although that’s at the forefront of my mind, I want to do my best for the team and help the team get a win every week.”
You’d be surprised to learn these quotes are from a No. 4 draft pick with a Larke Medal to his name - one who played 40 from a possible 44 matches in his first two seasons.
But Cale Morton has not had it all his way since the conclusion of the 2009 season.
In fact, he has played 18 of a possible 50 matches since then, sustained three consecutive pre-season injuries on the eve of or during the NAB Cup series, and has missed the start of each season.
As a result, injuries have interrupted his development, dented his confidence and, in return, he has come under scrutiny from sections of the media, the football fraternity and Melbourne supporters at large.
But the tide could be turning.
Morton returned from a knee injury sustained in this year’s intra-club clash to play the past four matches.
In fact, he is the only Demon to have gained 20 or more disposals in the past three matches. He is also averaging 20 touches per game - second only to Nathan Jones.
It paints a fascinating picture for and of the 68-gamer. But, after three “very frustrating” pre-season injuries - a posterior cruciate ligament injury (2010), finger (2011) and knee (2012) - Morton is itching to make the most of his return.
“It’s good to be back. I felt as though I had a good pre-season,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“Unfortunately, I injured myself on the verge of the season, so it was a little bit disappointing to miss the first couple of games. I haven’t played round one in a couple of years now, and that’s disappointing for me.
“I’ve learned a lot along the way about myself through the rehab processes, so I’m a better player for that.”
Reflecting on his injuries over the past three years, Morton said the injuries had all stopped him from making an impact.
“I feel as though the previous two injuries - not including this one this year - I’ve been picked in the team without having earned my spot through the VFL,” he said.
“This year I came back from injury, and I played for a month in the VFL. I earned my spot in the senior side through form.
“Last year, I was eight weeks out with my finger. I came straight back into the team, and wasn’t able to make an impact. I was unsettled, and was in and out of the team for the rest of the year, because I was unable to build momentum with my form.”
Morton said his self-belief had been rocked during 2010-11.
“Football is a confidence game. That’s the reality, and that’s the truth of it. I’ve suffered in the past - I feel like it was a by-product of coming into the team straightaway from injury,” he said.
“I wasn’t able to settle, and therefore I was dropped and picked again without getting myself into form.
“I came into the team full of confidence and in good form, so that I could impact straightaway.”
Although Morton said he was not weighed down by being an early draft choice, he did recognise the scrutiny, particularly when considering teammate Jack Watts.
“I don’t actually feel any pressure about being the No. 4 pick,” he said.
“That’s what Jack’s going through now. He’s getting a lot of scrutiny from outside the football club, but from inside, he’s getting treated like a James Magner or anyone who’s taken anywhere in the draft.
“I don’t think it matters too much. Jack and I have a lot of good, lengthy discussions about how each other is going. I have no doubt that he’s going to build some good form in the VFL, and get selected again in the AFL. He’s going to make an impact and really be a good player and an integral part of our team going forward.”
Since his return to the team against Richmond in round three, Morton has relished playing as an inside midfield - a return to the days when he carved it up for Western Australia in the NAB AFL under 18 championships.
“It gives me an opportunity to showcase my ability to win my own ball, which is something that I’ve prided myself on, albeit not showing it too much in the AFL,” he said.
“Hopefully I can become an integral part of the Melbourne midfield moving forward.”
Morton acknowledged that he had strayed from team structures in the past, but was determined to right those wrongs.
“The team has a structure that everyone must keep to and, at times, I’ve drifted from that. And it’s something I’m not proud of - I’ve opted to make my own decisions,” he said.
“I’ve been singled out about that a couple of times over this pre-season, so I’ve really made it a focus just to stick to structures.
“As I’ve matured and grown up - I’m in my fifth year now - I know the reality is you’ve got to play by the team rules. It’s something that I do now.”
In a strange twist, tenacious leadership group member Clint Bartram, who was selected at No. 66 in the 2005 NAB AFL Draft and has battled to survive on Melbourne’s list at times, has now become something of a mentor to Morton.
This pairing of ‘opposites attract’ footballers has done wonders for Morton, as he explained.
“Clint and I have got a really good relationship, and it’s a mutual respect,” he said.
“He helps me out where he can, and I offer him support - he’s going through a lot with his knee injury at the moment. It’s a challenge for him to get up each week.
“Clint’s been great to speak to - we’ve had the honest conversations and he says it how it is, and he’s laid it all bare for me.”
Morton said he valued Bartram’s traits highly, and wanted to take them into his game.
“If I can play with the characteristics that Clint plays with each week, and go about my football the way he does, I’m going to earn respect around this place. And that’s something that I really, really hope to earn,” he said.
The 22 year-old said coach Mark Neeld and backline coach Jade Rawlings had also been pivotal in his reversal in attitude and shift in form.
“He’s (Neeld) been awesome. More than anything, he’s given me a bit of a license to run and to really play to my strengths,” he said.
“So it was great the way the coach has handled it this year, because I had to earn my spot in the team.
“Jade Rawlings, the backline coach, was great with me at the VFL. He outlined for me what I had to do to achieve what was considered a benchmark game, which would earn me selection in the senior team.
Morton’s versatility has been a feature of his game at Melbourne. He has played in all three divisions, but now feels he has some stability.
“In the past, I’ve been so confused about the position I’ve played. There have been weeks gone by where I haven’t had a game review following a match, because I’ve been unsure about which coach to see, because I was drifting between positions,” he said.
“Versatility is the key these days, and one position players are becoming obsolete, so it’s important that I develop to play a number of positions.”
For Morton, he can only speculate on why his first two years were so good, and his past two dropped.
“I don’t really have an answer. I was full of confidence in my first two years, without overusing the word confidence. In my last two years, I was probably in and out of the team more,” he said.
“The way that I’ve come on this pre-season sometimes makes me think I was wasting my time over the past couple of years, and I sometimes I question myself as to why I wasn’t doing this three or four years ago. I would have made up for a lot of lost time.
“Mark Neeld, Jade Rawlings and Clint Bartram and everyone else who has an impact on my career - I hope to stand up to the expectations that we set.”
On Neeld, Morton also believes the first-year coach and his panel have the necessary tools to become a success.
“It feels like a professional football club now, which is funny to say,” he said.
“I don’t want to talk about the past too much, because the club was doing what was best at the time, and I’ve got full confidence in the board, and the people leading the club.
“Now we’ve got people from successful organisations … I genuinely feel like we’re onto something now and we’re heading in a direction. Although we haven’t had the success on the field, we’re building a very solid foundation … we’re building something.”
And Morton is an integral part of that.
You’d be surprised to learn these quotes are from a No. 4 draft pick with a Larke Medal to his name - one who played 40 from a possible 44 matches in his first two seasons.
But Cale Morton has not had it all his way since the conclusion of the 2009 season.
In fact, he has played 18 of a possible 50 matches since then, sustained three consecutive pre-season injuries on the eve of or during the NAB Cup series, and has missed the start of each season.
As a result, injuries have interrupted his development, dented his confidence and, in return, he has come under scrutiny from sections of the media, the football fraternity and Melbourne supporters at large.
But the tide could be turning.
Morton returned from a knee injury sustained in this year’s intra-club clash to play the past four matches.
In fact, he is the only Demon to have gained 20 or more disposals in the past three matches. He is also averaging 20 touches per game - second only to Nathan Jones.
It paints a fascinating picture for and of the 68-gamer. But, after three “very frustrating” pre-season injuries - a posterior cruciate ligament injury (2010), finger (2011) and knee (2012) - Morton is itching to make the most of his return.
“It’s good to be back. I felt as though I had a good pre-season,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“Unfortunately, I injured myself on the verge of the season, so it was a little bit disappointing to miss the first couple of games. I haven’t played round one in a couple of years now, and that’s disappointing for me.
“I’ve learned a lot along the way about myself through the rehab processes, so I’m a better player for that.”
Reflecting on his injuries over the past three years, Morton said the injuries had all stopped him from making an impact.
“I feel as though the previous two injuries - not including this one this year - I’ve been picked in the team without having earned my spot through the VFL,” he said.
“This year I came back from injury, and I played for a month in the VFL. I earned my spot in the senior side through form.
“Last year, I was eight weeks out with my finger. I came straight back into the team, and wasn’t able to make an impact. I was unsettled, and was in and out of the team for the rest of the year, because I was unable to build momentum with my form.”
Morton said his self-belief had been rocked during 2010-11.
“Football is a confidence game. That’s the reality, and that’s the truth of it. I’ve suffered in the past - I feel like it was a by-product of coming into the team straightaway from injury,” he said.
“I wasn’t able to settle, and therefore I was dropped and picked again without getting myself into form.
“I came into the team full of confidence and in good form, so that I could impact straightaway.”
Although Morton said he was not weighed down by being an early draft choice, he did recognise the scrutiny, particularly when considering teammate Jack Watts.
“I don’t actually feel any pressure about being the No. 4 pick,” he said.
“That’s what Jack’s going through now. He’s getting a lot of scrutiny from outside the football club, but from inside, he’s getting treated like a James Magner or anyone who’s taken anywhere in the draft.
“I don’t think it matters too much. Jack and I have a lot of good, lengthy discussions about how each other is going. I have no doubt that he’s going to build some good form in the VFL, and get selected again in the AFL. He’s going to make an impact and really be a good player and an integral part of our team going forward.”
Since his return to the team against Richmond in round three, Morton has relished playing as an inside midfield - a return to the days when he carved it up for Western Australia in the NAB AFL under 18 championships.
“It gives me an opportunity to showcase my ability to win my own ball, which is something that I’ve prided myself on, albeit not showing it too much in the AFL,” he said.
“Hopefully I can become an integral part of the Melbourne midfield moving forward.”
Morton acknowledged that he had strayed from team structures in the past, but was determined to right those wrongs.
“The team has a structure that everyone must keep to and, at times, I’ve drifted from that. And it’s something I’m not proud of - I’ve opted to make my own decisions,” he said.
“I’ve been singled out about that a couple of times over this pre-season, so I’ve really made it a focus just to stick to structures.
“As I’ve matured and grown up - I’m in my fifth year now - I know the reality is you’ve got to play by the team rules. It’s something that I do now.”
In a strange twist, tenacious leadership group member Clint Bartram, who was selected at No. 66 in the 2005 NAB AFL Draft and has battled to survive on Melbourne’s list at times, has now become something of a mentor to Morton.
This pairing of ‘opposites attract’ footballers has done wonders for Morton, as he explained.
“Clint and I have got a really good relationship, and it’s a mutual respect,” he said.
“He helps me out where he can, and I offer him support - he’s going through a lot with his knee injury at the moment. It’s a challenge for him to get up each week.
“Clint’s been great to speak to - we’ve had the honest conversations and he says it how it is, and he’s laid it all bare for me.”
Morton said he valued Bartram’s traits highly, and wanted to take them into his game.
“If I can play with the characteristics that Clint plays with each week, and go about my football the way he does, I’m going to earn respect around this place. And that’s something that I really, really hope to earn,” he said.
The 22 year-old said coach Mark Neeld and backline coach Jade Rawlings had also been pivotal in his reversal in attitude and shift in form.
“He’s (Neeld) been awesome. More than anything, he’s given me a bit of a license to run and to really play to my strengths,” he said.
“So it was great the way the coach has handled it this year, because I had to earn my spot in the team.
“Jade Rawlings, the backline coach, was great with me at the VFL. He outlined for me what I had to do to achieve what was considered a benchmark game, which would earn me selection in the senior team.
Morton’s versatility has been a feature of his game at Melbourne. He has played in all three divisions, but now feels he has some stability.
“In the past, I’ve been so confused about the position I’ve played. There have been weeks gone by where I haven’t had a game review following a match, because I’ve been unsure about which coach to see, because I was drifting between positions,” he said.
“Versatility is the key these days, and one position players are becoming obsolete, so it’s important that I develop to play a number of positions.”
For Morton, he can only speculate on why his first two years were so good, and his past two dropped.
“I don’t really have an answer. I was full of confidence in my first two years, without overusing the word confidence. In my last two years, I was probably in and out of the team more,” he said.
“The way that I’ve come on this pre-season sometimes makes me think I was wasting my time over the past couple of years, and I sometimes I question myself as to why I wasn’t doing this three or four years ago. I would have made up for a lot of lost time.
“Mark Neeld, Jade Rawlings and Clint Bartram and everyone else who has an impact on my career - I hope to stand up to the expectations that we set.”
On Neeld, Morton also believes the first-year coach and his panel have the necessary tools to become a success.
“It feels like a professional football club now, which is funny to say,” he said.
“I don’t want to talk about the past too much, because the club was doing what was best at the time, and I’ve got full confidence in the board, and the people leading the club.
“Now we’ve got people from successful organisations … I genuinely feel like we’re onto something now and we’re heading in a direction. Although we haven’t had the success on the field, we’re building a very solid foundation … we’re building something.”
And Morton is an integral part of that.
