Scans confirm worst for Brett Morris

A devastated Morris was in tears after suffering the season-ending injury during the Sydney Roosters' big NRL win over Newcastle on Saturday night.

The Roosters entered Sunday hoping for a miracle, but instead their worst fears were confirmed when scans showed a rupture in his right knee.

Making matters worse, Roosters prop Lindsay Collins has suffered the same injury and will join Morris, Luke Keary and the medically-retired Jake Friend in missing the rest of the season.

Fairytale endings rarely happen, but if any NRL player deserved one, it was Morris.

The son of St George legend Steve Morris, Brett has chalked up 276 games since his debut in 2006 and won premierships with both the Dragons and Roosters.

His 176 tries is the fourth most all time, and, after scoring 11 times in the first five rounds of this year, Morris looked likely to challenge Ken Irvine's record of 212 if he played on in 2022.

But that now looks impossible.

"For this era and the 10 years before that, there were a lot of great wingers," Dragons premiership-winning teammate Jason Nightingale said.

"But not the same as the total package Brett has brought to the game."

Morris still punched well above his weight against wingers almost half his age and far bigger than him into the 2020s.

This season alone he'd already broken 31 tackles in seven games, while averaging beyond 130 metres in attack.

His defence was still as good as ever, with his enduring image the determination he showed to hold up Darius Boyd while carrying a dislocated shoulder in a 2014 State of Origin match.

It proved crucial, as NSW broke their drought in series-openers at Suncorp Stadium and went on to end Queensland's run of eight-straight series wins.

"If it's the end, he'll be going out in good form and at the peak of his career," Nightingale said.

"So it's pretty impressive to finish like that."

The injury almost certainly ends the dream of Morris and twin Josh ending their careers together.

The pair played their 100th match together in last week's Anzac Day win, and Josh was the man to console him both on the sideline and in the sheds after Saturday's injury.

"Rugby league has shown ever since the start that you don't get to write the end of your story," former Dragons teammate Ben Creagh said.

"Your career can be cut short at any time. But in Brett's case I think he will be grateful for the career he has had and the length of time he's had.

"It's incredible thinking about what he's achieved since 2006.

"It's not the ending he would have wanted, but it's an incredible rugby league career."

Australian Associated Press