Keli and Leah Morris made a little bit of history in June this year when they became the first mother and daughter to play alongside each other in the top Women’s Super League competition.

RUGBY LEAGUE has never been short of family connections.

Plenty of brothers have played alongside each other, and since the advent of the Women’s Super League, several sets of sisters have followed suit.

Then, in July 2022, while both at Bradford Bulls, father and son George Flanagan senior and junior made the headlines when they played alongside each other for the first time.

But one family tie that appears to have gone under the radar a little more is Leigh Leopards’ Keli and Leah Morris.

The duo had already run out alongside each other on several occasions in the past, but when Leigh hosted York back in June, both players were selected, and became the first mother-daughter combination to play in the top-flight of Super League.

While daughter Leah had played in each of the Leopards’ previous league and cup games in 2025, it was mum Keli’s first appearance of the season after breaking her leg last September in the first of Leigh’s three Grand Finals to earn promotion to Super League.

And while that game may have been a moment of history, it wasn’t something the Morris’ thought too much about in the build-up.

“Thinking back, that first game playing alongside my mum this year was huge and the more people that I speak to about it, the more I do see it as a little piece of history,” said 21-year-old Leah.

“But for it to be so normal for us, we just got on with it. Sometimes players at other teams can’t believe that she’s my mum, and others like to take photos of us after games and do seem really big on the connection.

“After we’d played together at Miners, we didn’t think it could get much better than that, but then the Leopards came along. 

“I dislocated my knee in that first year, so I was out of the finals, and then last year, my mum broke her leg. But she’s come back this year better than ever, and we’ve managed to play together in Super League. I think the chance to do that was a big incentive for her to carry on and play again this year.”

And for Keli, the sentiment is very similar.

“I just feel blessed that we’re both at the right ages that we can do this,” added Keli.

“It’s something we’ve always done together, so we maybe didn’t realise how big a moment it was, but the more you think about it, it is pretty special.

“I know some guys who are coaching and their sons are playing, and they’ve said to me it is something they wish they could do as well, so I do feel quite lucky to have had the opportunity to do it, because not many people do.”

Of course, most mothers and daughters share a special bond – as do teammates – so how exactly does that work when you are both?

“I still remember the first open-age game Leah ever played,” explained Keli.

“It was quite a tough game anyway, and I was playing at centre at the time she came on this wing. I don’t think I’ve ever made so many tackles – I didn’t want anyone to go near her, and I didn’t want her to get involved. So I was quite motherly on that first game.

“Still now if I see something happening I can’t help that motherly instinct kicking in – I’m like with all of the girls – but I’ve seen what a strong player Leah has grown into so I know she can handle it and I don’t need to get as nervous for her now.”

That’s not something Leah can disagree with, but she admits that the dynamic is now starting to switch.

“Yeah, I think a lot of the time when I first started playing she protected me quite well and if anyone ran at me, or if anything happened, she would be the first one there to look after me,” agreed Leah.

“But, as the years have gone on and I’ve improved and mum’s getting older, I feel like the roles have started to reverse and when she gets hurt, I’m the first one there, or I try and tackle anything that goes towards her.

“It has switched a bit recently these last few years, but it is just like having a friend on the pitch, and because we know each other so well, it makes it quite easy for me as a half when she’s my second row because I know that when I look up she’ll be there.”

But it’s not just on the field that roles have been reversed, as Leah can take advantage of the rapidly growing women’s game and the rising level of professionalism in it.

“When I was first playing and Leah was dragged to the games, people would always ask her if she was going to play rugby like her mum,” added Keli.

“She would always say no, that I was crazy and that she’d never play rugby.

“To go from that, to the one who eats, sleeps and breathes rugby now, it is great. It’s her thing, it’s her passion, and it’s great to see her develop as a player and as a sports person.

“I used to always be doing something, or going for a run, but it’s now her getting up at six in the morning to go to the gym, so she really is taking her game to the next level, and it is amazing to see.

“To see where the game is going for players like Leah is great. When we first started at Miners, we were arranging our own games and setting up the pitch ourselves, but we’re now involved in a professional set-up, and it’s fantastic that Leah will be able to be a part of that growth.”

The fact that this momentous moment was even able to happen is due in part to the work Keli has done for the game in the town over many years.

The 43-year-old was involved with the first-ever women’s team at Leigh Miners and spent several years helping build up that squad. She also helped set up the girls’ section at the club, which she coached, with Miners still boasting one of the biggest female junior systems in the country.

Since the club merged with the Leopards ahead of the 2023 Super League Group Two season, several of Keli’s players at Miners have gone on to make first team appearances for the club as well as elsewhere in Super League, so when the time comes for her to hang up her boots at the end of this season, she can certainly be proud of the mark she will leave on the game.

“I kept threatening to retire, and then it was ‘I’ll wait until Leah is 17 and playing open age’, which I did, and then we had the opportunity to go into Super League Two which was amazing and then obviously we progressed to Leopards and had the chance to make Super League properly,” said Keli.

“To do all that alongside Leah has been a dream come true, but I have already put it out there that this will be my last year. Physically, I could probably do another year, but I can’t achieve any more than I already have.

“We have some cracking girls coming through, and it will be lovely to watch Leah and the other progress from the sidelines and see where it goes for them.

“I am proud of everything I have achieved from starting with nothing, to players fighting for shirts and good players missing out.

“A lot of the girls do call me mum, and I am protective of them all. I have known a lot of them for a long time and coached some of them when they first started at Miners, and it’s so humbling to see them and others going well in Super League.

“I remember watching the Challenge Cup Final this year and I was crying my eyes out because I was watching girls that I had seen grow up be out there on that big stage, so it was overwhelmingly emotional.

“I was bursting with pride for girls like Grace Banks and Ellise Derbyshire, who I coached at Miners, and I even used to play with Rachel Thompson when she was one of the younger ones there. At one point, we even had to merge with Thatto Heath for a spell, so players like Katie Mottershead and Darcy Stott were part of the girls’ section growing up.

“It’s so lovely to see them all there and just doing well, and it’s something I can leave the game happy to have been a part of.”

The Morris’ and their teammates have won two of their opening 10 games of their debut season in the top flight – quite a stark contrast to last year’s unbeaten Championship campaign. But that should still be enough to see them retain their position in Super League for 2026, with Leah confident that they can use lessons learnt so far this year to try and make more of an impact in their second season at this level.

“It is a bit of a struggle, but we love the challenge,” added Leah.

“We always knew the step up was going to be hard, and every game has been different.

“We’ve not had the most consistent year because of injuries and loan players having to come in, but we can learn a lot from it.

“Kieron (Purtill – coach) has always had a positive energy about us, and he knows what we are good enough to be a Super League side, and hopefully we can stay in Super League next year and then go on to prove that we belong there.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 512 (September 2025)