John Morris lands with Team Cotter: Can a five-man rotation work?

A few days after his split with Team Kevin Martin, John Morris has a new curling home with Jim Cotter's British Columbia based rink.

The Canadian Curling Association's media release, outlining the teams that are rounding out the field at next autumn's Olympic pre-trials event (The Road To The Roar), contained this little nugget of information:

Immediately there was wonder. If John Morris is in, who is out with Team Cotter?

A quick check of Team Cotter's Facebook page shows that no one is out. However, by the time the pre-trials come about in Kitchener next November, someone will be rooted as an alternate.

“We’re all gonna feed off each other. A friendly competition, if you will. We’ll make it work," said Cotter over the phone from his home in Kelowna.

Over the mountains, in Calgary, the newest Team Cotter member was echoing that optimism; that a five-man rotation can work. At least with this crew.

“I talked with everyone on the team while this was all going down to make sure that everyone was a hundred per cent comfortable with this," explained Morris. "This is a challenge that everyone is embracing. The fact that there’s a spot up for grabs and that whoever is going to rise to the occasion, whoever is going to play well and be a great fit is going to be the one that’ll be on the ice for those pre-trials.”

So there is the blueprint for the new Team Cotter, at least for now. Cotter plans to have his teammates get together later this month to finalize designs on how the line up will look next fall, and how the rotation will work. From the outset, Morris will throw third stones and call the games. Cotter will throw fourth stones. The other three - Jason Gunnlaugson (who viced for Cotter this past season), Tyrel Griffith and Rick Sawatsky will rotate at front end

"Early in the season we’re going to have a couple of different line ups and see who’s really playing well in those positions, what’s a really good fit, maybe some sweeping combinations and then going forward into the bigger tournaments like maybe our first slam, or (by) the pre-trials, there will definitely be a team set there that we’re very comfortable with and that we think will be our best line up," explained Morris.

Not that the skip and vice are home and cooled out, insists Cotter. “At the end of the day I could be filling up water bottles, too, right?" he said.

It's a big addition to the Cotter team and one that may well pay big dividends if Morris' passion for playing is re-ignited, after leaving Martin's team.

However, a five man rotation has never really been thought to be a good idea, as it can lead to bruised egos and friction. The Scottish national team employed a five man rotation at last month's World Championships. Tom Brewster, who'd skipped his country to consecutive silver medals and then had former world champion David Murdoch added to the team in 2013, even sat out a playoff game. Whether that was a factor in a fall to bronze, or whether it will be a problem going forward towards Sochi is speculative and arguable. However, most curling observers will say that five men for four spots is far less than ideal.

"I can see where that comes from," Morris said when offered that scenario. "In the past, some teams have tried that. More international than Canadian teams. But they seemed to be changing the line up right up until the last game of a really big competition. I don’t think that is at all what we’re trying to do here."

Both Morris and Cotter say they have no qualms about what they are attempting with this team. They say the chemistry is right.

"The good thing about our team is we’re all pretty level-headed," said Cotter. "We don’t have egos on the team and everyone just wants to be a part of it. Whatever role that takes - we all agreed, we all said it - whether its filling up water bottles or whatever it is, they just want to be a part of it."

“Sometimes you just gel with guys," added Morris. "There’s just a really good dynamic already. And you know when you have a dynamic like that, that you can really work well together."

What of the three who are battling for two spots? Although Cotter assures that none of the positions are to be taken for granted, it would be rather a shocker should one of he or Morris not make the grade for Kitchener. The skip reiterates that the chemistry is good and that fortune is smiling on Gunnlaugson (28) and Griffith (27).

"It’s a great opportunity for them. They’re young so it could open a lot of doors for them, especially with success. For Sawatsky and I , we’re not getting any younger. It’s not every day an opportunity like this presents itself so we definitely want to take advantage of it and see where it takes us."

Cotter apologized for not having all the answers set in stone right now, which is understandable. After all, it wasn't as though he went fishing to add Morris, with a calculated scheme already in place. It was Morris who made a call to him and laid out the plan.

"Definitely came as a surprise to us when John called us out of the blue after announcing he had left his team. I approached the guys and everyone was super excited. Everyone’s all in, a hundred per cent in. At the end of the day it was a team decision. We thought, obviously, with the addition of John - one of the best curlers in the world - we’d definitely rather have him on our team than someone else’s."

Morris could have gone somewhere else, saying that he was "sort of overwhelmed with the options. I didn’t really expect to hear from as many other teams as I did."

In the end, he made the call to Kelowna for a number of reasons, one being that he didn't want to stray to far from the deep roots he's set down in Alberta. As well, Morris says he's always appreciated being around Cotter and his team whenever they crossed paths.

"They’re all such great guys and we really think we can make this work with a five person team," he said.

Time is of the essence. Beginning with their team meeting later this month, they have just a short summer and early autumn to make it all fit, something that can take a team years to accomplish.

“We’re going to have to make some big strides," agreed Morris. "We have to become a championship team in a rather short amount of time. But when you already have the base for that, like I believe we do with this team, those strides will come."