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Brett Morris is 33 now, but his defensive effort on Braidon Burns and Alex Johnston for the Sydney Roosters on Friday night was the stuff of men half his age.

If one play could typify Brett Morris' steely determination in defence, this was it.

Morris showed again on Friday night that age is no barrier as he pulled off the defensive play of the round in the Sydney Roosters' win over South Sydney.

With the Roosters holding onto a 12-0 lead, Morris chased down both Braidon Burns and Alex Johnston in one play on Friday night.

He then tripled it up, making a tackle from behind on the very next play before rushing back to bat a ball out in the in-goal later in the set.

"Most guys with speed will get the first guy," Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.

"But then to keep moving and get the next one and then another play on the line. That takes something more than speed.

"It was amazing to watch."

For most, that defence would be a once-in-a-lifetime type effort.

But Morris has made his career on them.

In 2014 he created headlines for pulling off a match-saving tackle for NSW in the State of Origin series opener, holding up Darius Boyd with his dislocated shoulder.

It's part of the reason why he has fit so well into the Roosters' system, after joining the club aged 32 last year.

"He can buy into us, but when you recruit a senior guy like a Josh or Brett, you want to see traits that you see already that will adapt really quickly," Robinson said.

"So you don't try and mould them into something new.

"We went after them because we saw guys who you see character in and stuff that will adapt quickly.

"That's why we were happy with Josh coming after a few rounds (from Cronulla this year), because we want to learn off them as much as they can learn off us."