When Rovers became a senior club it
was largely due to the depth and quality of the junior talent they had
developed. Players such as Jim and Sid Denton, Jack Hirst and Jimmy Williams
had helped the club sweep all before them in the years leading up to 1921. This
continued as a senior club, and in their first season Rovers signed a resilient
scrum-half called Joe Morgan. He made his debut on 7th December 1921
at Dewsbury and held the position for the rest of the season. Rovers had begun
the campaign with star signing Joe Kirkham at scrum-half, but he was moved out
to the wing to accommodate this impressive newcomer. The following year,
Kirkham was back at scum-half, but the versatile Morgan slotted in at centre.
In his third season Joe’s career was interrupted by an accident at the pit, and
he faced a long layoff with a back injury. When he came back into the team, he
was alternating between stand-off and loose forward, and by the time of the
famous championship final in 1928, Joe Morgan was Featherstone’s established
number thirteen. This was the position he would hold with distinction until he
retired in 1932. He played a grand total of 247 games (and scored 19 tries) for
Featherstone over twelve seasons, although unfortunately the records appear to
show that he was never awarded the testimonial he obviously deserved.
In 1928, Rovers picked up Joe’s
younger brother Tom, who made occasional first team appearances over three
seasons (15 games in all), mostly deputising for his brother at loose forward.
In 1929 youngest brother Luke also began his Featherstone career, making a name
for himself as a tough scrummager in an uncompromising front row. And so it
came to pass that all three brothers played together in the same Rovers line-up,
the only brothers ever to achieve this feat. This happened for the first time
on 8th of March 1930 at Huddersfield. Tommy Morgan was on the wing,
Joe was at scrum-half filling in for the injured Charlie Annable, and Luke was
at his preferred blindside prop position. They repeated this feat a few more
times. After Joe had retired, Luke Morgan continued as a mainstay of the first
team until injury forced his retirement in 1935 after 167 games in the Rovers
engine room. This brought an end to a fourteen year contribution from the three
brothers, which yielded 429 appearances.
In the 1960s Arnie Morgan and Dennis
Morgan played for Featherstone. In the 1970s we had front rower Mick Morgan,
and more recently Jon Morgan, Dale Morgan and Gavin Morgan have all appeared in
the blue and white. If you could help me establish what, if any, relationship
these players had to each other, I’d be grateful.
Luke was my grandad. Arnie, Dennis and Mick were his nephews. Jon was his great nephew and Dale his great grandson. Hope that helps. Other notables were Andy and Luke wno played top level amateur rugby for many years for Featherstone Miners Welfare and Featherstone Ions and probably others. They were Lukes great nephews and are considered unlucky not to be signed
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