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Hawk happy he's doing AFL godfather proud

Hawthorn's Harry Morrison was born to be an AFL player - his godfather is Ken Judge and Tom Rockliff is a cousin.

Harry Morrison
Hawthorn's Harry Morrison is handling the pressure of being linked to late AFL coach Ken Judge. (AAP)

AFL Rising Star nominee Harry Morrison hears echoes of another Hawthorn coach when Alastair Clarkson talks.

The 19-year-old midfielder/forward is the godson of Ken Judge, who coached the Hawks from 1996-99 and then West Coast from 2000-01.

Judge was only 58 when he died in January, 2016, from bone cancer.

Later that year, Morrison was drafted to Hawthorn.

"When Clarko speaks, I see a bit of Ken in him - just the way he draws people's attention, that sort of thing," Morrison said.

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"In terms of my junior footy, I picked his (Judge's) brain.

"We'd sit down pretty much every year and watch the Brownlow together and that was always pretty special for me.

"He'd be looking down now, pretty proud."

Morrison's Mum Tanya and Judge's wife Annette once worked together in Melbourne, leading to the family friendship.

"We'd catch up all the time when I was young and he was a big influence on my early footy career," Morrison said.

"I idolised him a fair bit. I probably didn't see him as much as I'd like, me being in Victoria and him being in WA."

Morrison was born to be an AFL player - Port Adelaide midfielder Tom Rockliff is also a cousin.

After one senior game last year, Morrison has played 19 this season and has cemented his spot in the Hawks line-up.

Morrison was outstanding in the frenetic last few minutes of their round-23 win over Sydney, showing he has the right temperament for his first AFL finals series.

The Hawks will return to September next Thursday in the qualifying final against minor premiers Richmond.

Morrison also has plenty of in-form teammates to lean on for advice about the finals, with premiership players and fellow forwards Jack Gunston and Luke Breust also earning Rising Star nominations.

Morrison pointed to hard-running midfielder Isaac Smith as another big influence.

"They're just superstars and just to pick their brains, watch them go to work on the training track, it's pretty invaluable for a 19-year-old," Morrison said.


2 min read

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Source: AAP


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