{"id":163483,"date":"2024-07-04T16:17:25","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T06:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=163483"},"modified":"2024-07-04T16:17:26","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T06:17:26","slug":"motivated-morris-doing-all-she-can-to-chase-her-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2024\/07\/04\/motivated-morris-doing-all-she-can-to-chase-her-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Motivated Morris doing all she can to chase her dream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

IT has been a big last six months or so for young Casey Demons VFLW midfielder Olivia Morris<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the disappointment of missing out on being drafted to moving to a totally different state in pursuit of her football dream, there has certainly been a lot on the young talent’s plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But despite the magnitude of such a move, Morris said she had not really being affected by the huge change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve had that much support that I haven’t really noticed I’ve even moved states, besides leaving my family,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like the club and the girls that I’m living with at the moment have provided so much support and just made it such an easy move that I haven’t struggled yet, which is good.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morris\u2019 sister Ella <\/strong>made the move down from Sydney to Casey last year, and if she had not done so, the younger Morris may not have made the same move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy sister moved a year before me to go play at Casey and just seeing her experience down here and the support that she got from the club, I knew I wanted to move here and just being that next level up in footy from Sydney footy getting exposed and playing with girls at a higher level,” she side. Having seen my sister do it the year before, I knew I wanted to come straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morris did agree that making the move south was made easier by the likes of fellow young New South Welshwomen Marnie Robinson<\/strong>, Mel Staunton<\/strong> and others all making the same move in the same year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c100 per cent,” she said. “Knowing that I’ve got people my age and that I’ve been friends with for a couple of years has definitely made it easier. Knowing we’re going through the same thing and we can all have whatever we need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite how last year ended for Morris, she really enjoyed how her top year panned out for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was my favourite year of footy. I had so many experiences and got to join so many of the pathways,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProbably my favourite was getting selected in the National Academy. “Getting exposed to environments like that and playing with girls at that top level really helped me out, and it was just a fun year and I feel like I gained some skills going into this year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going into draft night last year, she was not sure how the night would pan out for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’d spoken to a couple of clubs, had a couple interviews, and it was a bit of an uncertainty, but I was always positive,” Morris said. “I knew I had backups going into the draft, and I was obviously a bit nervous but also it’s such an exciting experience having to see your friend’s names called out and then getting to know I could move down to Melbourne afterwards if I didn’t get picked was also really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said it was \u201cobviously a bit upsetting\u201d not to get drafted, but she “always had the thought in the back of my mind that I won’t get picked, so I feel like it didn’t really set me back too much. A bit upset for a couple of hours, and then the next morning I was all over it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morris is also busy off the field, getting started on a university degree in her spare time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s the University of Central Queensland, but they’ve got campuses in Victoria, so just doing that online at the moment. I’m studying to be a high school teacher,” Morris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She agreed that having the uni degree is a nice distraction from her footy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It gives me something to do in my spare time and take my mind off things when I’m not at the club and then I can switch on when I am at the club,” Morris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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