A month after guiding Griffith Black and Whites to a drought breaking premiership, Craig Morriss has made a surprise code switch.
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Morriss has been unveiled as the Griffith Blacks new coach for 2018.
He is looking to guide the Southern Inland cellar dwellers back up the ladder just like he did with the Group 20 club.
The Blacks only won one game last season, and Morriss is looking to lead a cultural revolution.
“There are a lot of young guys there who are keen to make their mark and move forward,” Morriss said.
“It is a bit like coaching anywhere – you provide support, a bit of faith, show some interest in their career and back it up with some good skills and development.
“The rest is really up to them.
“We will be doing it in that order and try to get a good vibe in the club.”
While most of his coaching experience has been in league, including spending the last three years, Morriss is confident he can adapt to the different code.
He’s not a complete stranger to the sport either, after coaching his son Ewan, who plays for the Blacks, during his junior years.
Morriss is looking forward to the change of scenery.
“My family follow the Blacks while I was off one way coaching rugby league for the past four or five years so it is just a natural progression for me to go back there and help out,” he said.
Morriss will also have plenty of support from within the club including from Lama Lolotonga and Tino Kaue.
Despite leading the Black and Whites, alongside Andrew Lavaka, to their first premiership since 1998, Morriss said it was an easy decision to make.
“It was a fairly easy choice for me,” he said. “I had done my bit and probably took the guys as far as I could.
“They probably weren’t going to get much more out of me and had heard it all before.”
Blacks president Dan McGreal is confident Morriss is the right man to lead the club forward.
“He brings to the table his managerial skills, plays and his defensive side,” McGreal said.
“We feel that it the right move and he carries a lot of respect with him.
“We think he is a good fit for the club.”
At this early stage, the Blacks do no look like they will have a big player turnover from last season.
With plenty of talk of some former players returning, McGreal is hopeful of being able to fill three grades again in 2018.
