“I WAS very humbled to get a ridiculous number of messages for my 300th, but at least 25 per cent of those were about my blue towel.”
It’s scarce for a 300-game club legend like Simon Morton to be almost best known for a little blue towel he has carried around for 30 years.
But that’s part of the Murrabit legend that is three-time senior premiership player Morton.
“I started in the seniors at Murrabit at 14 in 1992, and it wasn’t a thing back then, but I just grabbed this towel and it was a beautiful, lush thing back then.
“Now it’s very thin, holey, and small. It’s struggling – but I still use it anyway.
“Some people have lucky jocks or socks, but I have a towel,” Morton said.
Morton reached the special milestone on Saturday playing in the reserves’ five-goal win over Nullawil in a top-of-the-table clash.
“It’s a significant achievement, it’s my junior club,” Morton said.
“Not too many people have played 300 games over the years.
“It’s probably something I’ll look back on when I finish and enjoy, but right now I just want to keep playing.
“It was nice to get the chocolates and to celebrate it with another two blokes Matthew Webb played his 300th also, and it was Simon Kelly’s 100th, so that was great.”
Morton is regarded as one of Murrabit’s finest products, playing in the 1995 New South Wales Teal Cup side and representing Vic Country the following year in the under 18s national championships.
Stints at Sydney Reserves and Box Hill followed before Morton returned to Murrabit and played in the club’s three most recent senior premierships – 2005, 2007 and 2016 – all of which are equally special to Morton.
“They were all pretty special – 2005 was my first and the last one 2016 was great because we were behind in the last quarter and it came down to one of the last kicks of the day to win. But I can’t say any one was more special than the others.”
Besides his blue towel, Morton is known for his incredible durability, an asset that has been crucial in allowing him to reach the 300-game mark.
“I’ve missed four games through injury since 1992 and one week I had a wedding,” he said.
“I’m fortunate, but I do my recovery every week and preseason every year.
“I’m one of those blokes if I don’t go to footy training, I get really sore. I hate byes, but if I play, I’m fine.”
This longevity will give Blues fans confidence they can see one of their favourite sons running around for a while longer.
