Paris — Whether or not this could be an Olympic men’s hockey final dress rehearsal is still to be realised. But if the Netherlands were unsure of Lee Morton’s value to the GB side at these Paris Olympics on Tuesday, they will become more accustomed to his skills next season after signing for Dutch club Amsterdam before setting his sights on Paris.
“Shut the eyes and hope for the best, I think, is how we describe it,” offered Morton, as the British press descended upon the man of the moment to keep Team GB men’s unbeaten Olympics intact.
“I’ll be honest about that. The ball just sat up, probably took a touch, and I just thought I’d give it a whack, it hit off the backboard – and what a feeling.”
Especially when you consider that Morton was on the verge of quitting hockey altogether after failing to make inroads in his foray in the GB men’s programme.
He said: “I’m pretty open about being at a stage when I was going to retire from hockey. When I last came out of the GB cycle, I kind of thought I’d hit the peak and I’d given up on my Olympic dream.
“I was at rock bottom and was going to quit. I stuck with it and to now be here with all my family is pretty special.”
Anyone who has seen Morton play for Old Georgians, will be used to the Scot’s penchant for moving swiftly into forward positions on the left. His pace and skill caught the eye of Paul Revington and Co after the Tokyo cycle ended.
“The coaches didn’t really say anything. I ended up getting an invitation to come back and trial,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘you know what – we’ll give it one last chance and we’ll see what happens’. And I just kind of went from there.”
Having been a midfielder, around 18 months ago, GB coaches “floated the idea” of trying out a half back role based on his attacking threats.
“So I essentially worked at my defensive game for probably a year and a half solid just to get myself up to that level.
“They’ve always said I could play in any line. I’m a midfielder here but when Liam [Sanford] got a knock I was prepared to then go and play as a half back.
“That’s helped me to develop skills to be an attacker but also an international standard defender.”
Revington was quick to praise his charge following the Scot’s brace against the Dutch.
He said: “Outside of his skills, his versatility factor talks a lot to his character and his mentality, that he can do all those positions. I’m delighted for him and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
“I think part of the strategic way to open play up for ourselves is for us to dial into the defensive side of his game which hadn’t been traditionally very strong. He’s found that balance and playing up front he’s offering both. That’s where the modern game is at, at the moment, and why ourselves and the Netherlands are pretty much one and two.”
Zach Wallace hailed Morton’s performance as “incredible”.
He added: “There are a few nuances playing up front, you get the ball facing the wrong way and it took a few games for him to get into the flow. But he’s cracked it now and you saw it today.
