WHY MORGAN CIBILIC HAS US BEGGING FOR MORE OF THE SAME.
Throughout the course of the Australian leg of the Championship Tour, Morgan Cibilic tore down reputations like a human wrecking ball with fins attached, and my how we loved him for it. While the Brazilian fliers received lofty rewards for their aerial antics, Morgan matched them with a more relatable mix of power and panache.When he lined up against John John Florence he relished the challenge and twice ruined the bookmakers with his long odds victories. And each time the microphone was jammed in the face of the plucky natural-footer, he displayed an unpretentious swagger that was instantly endearing. Back in 2019, the Australian press and WSL fans loudly celebrated the requalification of Ethan Ewing, and the arrival of Jack Robinson on tour. Meanwhile, Morgan snuck in behind them with minimal fanfare and modest expectations. Now it’s he who is shouldering the expectations of Australian fans and winning praise from underdog lovers around the world.
When Tracks catches up with Morgan he is sitting at Sydney Airport, waiting for his flight to California. Given the dearth of international travel, the airport is spookily empty, and he is grateful for the company of good friend and long-time travel partner, Liam O’Brien.They are bound for the wave pool and despite the incessant WSL hype Morgan isn’t afraid to sum up his expectations in much the same way most of us view Kelly’s ‘pond of dreams’, where the miracle of its existence is often overshadowed by the monotony of watching it. “It looks pretty mental to surf but at the same time boring to watch.”When asked about what he did last year to inspire his dramatic spike in form, Morgan is similarly candid. “I improved my surfing, but only a little bit… I was just surfing with my friends and drinking, and having fun. But just before Hawaii, and then after it, I really knuckled down and put some time in the gym, and I feel like I noticed a lift in my confidence, in myself and in my surfing.”
It’s been a meteoric rise that very few people saw coming. Maybe not even Morgan himself. By late in 2018 he was ranked outside the top 100. While officially the WSL is a two-tier system it’s really a three-tier scenario. Only surfers rated in the top 100 (or thereabouts) were then eligible for a start in the Primes, which carried maximum points –10 000 – for a win. Morgan had made a promise to himself. “If I didn’t get into the Primes by the time
