It was a night to remember in more ways than one for Brisbane Roar’s midfielder Brandon McMorrow, with the 21-year-old making his senior debut for the club in last Wednesday’s Australia Cup Round of 16 win over Avondale FC.
Coming on as an extra time substitute for Riku Danzaki, McMorrow became the 198th player to feature for the A-League men’s side in the club’s history.
McMorrow spoke of his joy at getting his first senior appearance.
“It was quite a surreal experience, growning up in Brisbane I’ve always wanted to play for the Roar and I’ve been working so hard to get minutes with the first team,” McMorrow said.
“It was one of those experiences where all I could think is, ‘wow, I’ve finally made it to this top side’ and it’s something I want to keep doing now!”
An energetic midfielder, McMorrow has spent time learning from some of the Roar’s senior players to hone his craft.
“Jay, Rahmat and Jesse are all good influences on me, they drive high expectations and take the time to talk to me about ways to improve and grow as a player. They’re good mentors to look up to within the Roar setup.”
McMorrow broke into the Roar’s NPL first team in the 2020 season and since then has been a regular for Chris Grossman’s side, registering 60 appearances and scoring 10 goals in that time.
The former Brisbane Strikers junior has flourished in the middle of the park in his NPL career and has relished the chance to work with Grossman and his coaching staff.
“Grossy in particular, he’s put a lot of faith in me, keeping the faith throughout my injury spell and guiding me to reach my potential as a footballer and it’s ultimately started to pay off,” McMorrow said.
“I owe a lot to that man, and I hope I can keep using what he’s teaching me to go further in my career.”
Having received a taste of first team action, the young midfielder is relishing more opportunities to feature for Warren Moon’s side in the coming Isuzu Ute A-League campaign.
“That first taste has spurred me on to try and turn one appearance into 10, 15, 20 and maybe hopefully starting for the Roar one day. It’s an opportunity I want to make the most of and I want to keep working hard to earn more minutes.”
Tune in to the Roar’s Australia Cup Round of 16 match against Adelaide United on Wednesday August 31 live and exclusive on 10Play.
