A cornerstone of the Bulldogs’ defence since his arrival, only injury could deny Dale Morris adding more than the 11 games to his career tally in 2017.

On the field Morris continued to show his durability and resilience, averaging 90% game time in his matches – among the highest at the Club – while his selflessness and defensive contribution was reflected by the 7.8 one percenters he averaged per match.

Morris ranked 13th in the league for average one percenters per contest, and second at the Kennel in this category behind fellow defender Fletcher Roberts (8.1 per game, #7 in the AFL)

A broken leg sustained in round one against Collingwood saw Morris miss seven weeks at the start of the year, while an ankle complaint had him miss the round 12 loss to the Swans in Sydney.

Morris returned from a badly broken arm (round 18, Gold Coast) to play against Port Adelaide in Round 22. Despite needing surgery, he only missed three matches with the injury, furthering his reputation as one of the ‘Iron Men’ of the competition.

Stat that mattered:

Morris will prepare for a 13th AFL season next year after re-signing at the Western Bulldogs on a one-year deal in September.

What they said:

“The biggest moment for mine was the last game of the season with the two old boys retiring in Murph (Bob Murphy) and Boydy (Matthew Boyd)." 

"That was pretty significant for the footy club. I’ve spent a lot of time with them, they’re a similar age and my whole career has been with them.”

- Dale Morris, September 2017