Double Centurion Morton Feels The Future Is Bright For Cooke

A milestone cap, quietly acknowledged or loudly celebrated, has a way of doing exactly that. It draws a line from past to present, from the first uncertain steps to the assured presence of experience.

Two weeks ago, as Cooke took to the field against Ballincollig in the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division, Teah Morton ran out for her 200th senior match for the Belfast club.

This Saturday they have a massive meeting with Tullow, the two teams battling to avoid finishing at the foot of the table. A win can seal it, cap number 201 for centre Morton could be another pivotal moment in the Cooke jersey.

But within that existing number, 200 senior appearances, lies a story that stretches back to 2010, to a different version of the Women’s game, a different Cooke squad, and a young player who could not have imagined the journey ahead.

“2010 was my first match. Actually, I was looking at it earlier. It was against St. Mary’s and we won it 10-3,” Morton explains, speaking about her first steps with Cooke in the All-Ireland League.

Back then, she was Teah Maguire, coming into a team that was built on experience and success, a side that featured Ireland internationals and established figures in the game. A league that also had a number of teams that are no longer operating in the top flight.

“Whenever I first started with Cooke, there were teams like Clonmel, Highfield, Tralee, St. Mary’s. It is good to see St. Mary’s building again and so on. But so many teams have fallen by the wayside since I have been playing.

“So it’s nice to see that Cooke has been there through thick and thin, I suppose. We’ve been in the AIL every single year bar one, and we got relegated and came back up again, which doesn’t happen very often.

“I’ve played alongside the likes of Grace Davitt (pictured below with Ashleigh Baxter), Amy Davis, Suzanne Fleming, Gillian McAllister, Rachel Reid, to name a few.”

For Morton, the journey to 200 caps has been defined by a mindset – resilience, persistence, and a willingness to keep moving forward regardless of setbacks. Her career has spanned different eras of Women’s rugby, she has played with and against some of the best players in Irish rugby.

The game itself has changed in the years since. Structures have evolved, standards have risen, and pathways for young players have become clearer. But alongside that growth has come a harsher reality, clubs struggling to survive, teams folding, and the constant battle to maintain numbers and competitiveness.

Cooke, through it all, have endured. That resilience is reflected in Morton’s own path. She has remained a constant presence through changing squads, shifting fortunes, and the inevitable ups and downs of a long rugby career.

“Like whenever I started playing, it was just basically a team of Irish internationals. Played against the likes of Joy Neville, who’s had a miraculous playing career as well as a refereeing career. Has now retired from both.

“My 200 caps has been nothing short of interesting and very, very joyful as well. Like it’s been great. I’ve stayed at the club for one reason or another, and I wouldn’t change it to be honest with you.”

Now 33, Morton finds herself as one of the senior figures in a squad that is, in many ways, starting its own journey. Cooke this season have leaned heavily on youth, with players still in school and others only beginning their university years, learning the demands of All-Ireland League rugby.

They are also lucky enough to have some players who have been capped provincially and internationally. For many the journey is only just starting, for others it is another year competing at the highest level of Irish club rugby.

“I think just earlier on in the week we were having a chat and we have six girls still in school, which is just crazy. They’re battling AIL, training two, three, four times a week, playing a match on Saturday, but also trying to set their A-levels, which is credit to them.

“And then obviously some within the first year of uni too, which is great for the future of Cooke. But yeah, maybe just not so much whenever you’re going up against maybe the more experienced players within different clubs and teams.”

That blend of youth and experience defines the current Cooke squad under head coach Brian McLaughlin. It creates a dynamic that can be both energising and challenging, particularly when results are not going their way.

“You can blame a lot of things, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to reflect on yourself. And I think that is something we’re maybe too good at or too harsh on ourselves, especially since we have such a young team,” she explained.

Training intensity has increased in recent weeks, with a clear focus on these final fixtures. Even in defeat, there have been positives. Performances have improved, and the squad has shown resilience in the face of adversity.

Their last outing, a 24-19 defeat to Ballincollig, was perhaps the clearest example of that fine balance between progress and frustration. It was a game that felt within reach, but one that slipped away from them in the end.

“Training wise, the ante has been upped. There’s been a lot of emphasis put on the last couple of weeks. Tullow hasn’t been our only targeted game. We have targeted games throughout the season.

“You look at that bottom half of the table, you’re looking to pick up a win, a bonus point win, a losing bonus point. There’s so many variations on how you pick up points, and it is just about how you’re going to attack that.

“Yes Ballincollig is passed, we can’t change it. But ultimately we wanted to go out and put in a performance in. We did that, tick. We wanted the points out of that match. We got one, which is better than none. But again, you just got to keep ticking and moving forward.”

Numbers have been tight on match days, sometimes a full bench has not been at their disposal. Depth has not always been guaranteed, and the demands placed on players have often been significant.

“We’re far better off this season than we were last. I think last year we started the season with 22 injuries and not just your odd little sprain or strain. It was significant. ACLs, AC joints, shoulders.

“This year has been slightly kinder to us. We filled every game and we’ve had a bench, which is a luxury compared to the previous season.”

For her, closing out the 2025/26 campaign on a strong footing is about solidifying the pathway for the next generation, encouraging the young talent at Shaw’s Bridge to aim higher and build more consistency for the club in the All-Ireland League.

“We’ve got a strong youth group coming in behind this group again. And yeah, the future is bright, but it’s just about allowing those youngsters that are coming through the opportunity and the chance to play in the AIL.

“It’s about laying the platform for those coming through the club because we have some superstars in our youth structure that are involved with Interpros and international rugby at age-grade level.”

That perspective speaks to the role she now occupies within the Cooke set-up. Morton is no longer just a player. She is a mentor, a guide, a coach, and a link between the past and the future of the club.

“You can look at the negative side of Cooke at the minute and it is tough to be on the end of losses, there’s no denying that. But the core group of girls and women that we have they are just amazing.

“You’ve the youngsters that live for their weekends and after the Saturday matches, they’re like, ‘Wait, where’s the party at?’. And then you’ve got the older ones like myself and the mums that are just, ‘Right, we’re going to bed, that’s enough’. And it’s a nice balance of everything.”

The losing bonus point at home to Ballincollig offered some consolation to increase the gap between themselves and bottom side Tullow to five points. it also highlighted the tight margins that have defined their season so far.

“We had two or three this season that we feel like we were so close yet so far. I know as the saying goes, winning is a mentality, winners win. We just seem to lack that clinical edge. It’s a habit, and unfortunately so is losing.

“Games haven’t gone our way and definitely Ballincollig was the one that got away, and I think we almost felt like we had it and then right at the death, then we didn’t.

“So, thankfully picked up another losing bonus point, which puts us in good stead going into the weekend and for the last two fixtures. Certainly heartbreaking that past Saturday.

“We’ve now got to go down to Tullow with the best intentions and essentially come away with a win. But we’ve got to earn the right. Go down there and put a performance in and then hopefully we’ll be rewarded with the win.

“But yeah, both teams, it’s going to be a good match anyway. It will be no doubt a feisty one and hopefully it’ll be a good match either way.”

As Cooke prepare for this penultimate round trip to Tullow, Morton’s presence offers stability. He influence extends beyond a single result. That sense of togetherness has been a constant throughout her career. It is what has sustained Cooke through difficult campaigns and what continues to drive them forward now.

And as McLaughlin’s charges head into one of the most important games of their season, her journey stands as a reminder of what rugby, at its core, is all about. Commitment, community, and the enduring belief that no matter how difficult the challenge, you keep showing up.

Two hundred caps tell a story, but they do not define the ending. For Morton, the story is still being written. Not in milestones or statistics, but in the effort to ensure that the club she has given so much to continues to develop in this competition.

“No matter what happens on Saturday, we’ve just got to stick with it and hopefully come away with the win. But again, we can only see what happens on Saturday.

“We’ll have to adapt and change, and change things, stick to the programme. Do what you got to do, and we’ll find our way,” she added.

– Cooke photos taken by Ronan Ryan

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