A knee injury that appears set to end Dale Morris’ decorated AFL career has soured the Western Bulldogs’ emphatic 47-point win over Fremantle at Marvel Stadium.
In his first senior game since rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in the pre-season, Morris limped from the ground in the third quarter of Sunday’s clash and took no further part in the 16.17 (113) to 9.12 (66) win.
The 36-year-old crumpled to the turf after his left leg buckled under him as he attempted to change direction chasing a ground ball.
He immediately motioned for assistance and hobbled to the bench under his own steam after he was helped to his feet.
Scans are expected to confirm the respected defender has ruptured the ligament again, which would almost certainly end his 253-game career.
The injury took the gloss off a convincing performance from Luke Beveridge’s men that moved them to ninth on the ladder, behind eighth-placed Adelaide by percentage.
The loss is a major blow to Fremantle’s slim finals hopes as Ross Lyon’s men slip to 12th with a poor percentage with four games left in the home-and-away season.
Jack Macrae led the way for the Dogs with 38 possessions and eight clearances, with Bailey Dale booting four goals.
Nat Fyfe (33 disposals) still got plenty of the ball despite spending significant periods of time up forward, with Andrew Brayshaw outstanding with 26 possessions and three goals.
Bailey Smith and Dale booted two first-quarter goals as the Dogs opened full of running.
The Dockers were equal to the task for the most part, trailing by just a goal late in the term, but the Bulldogs slammed through three unanswered majors to record their highest first-quarter score this season to lead by 23 points.
Rory Lobb kicked truly to open the second quarter but that would be his side’s only major for the term.
Coming off last week’s five-goal effort, Dale took his tally to four but the highlight of the quarter was debutant Rhylee West’s first goal in senior company.
The son of Dogs champion Scott West swooped on a loose ball in the shadows of halftime, shrugged a tackler and snapped brilliantly off his left boot to put the Dogs up by 43 points at the main break.
Morris’ departure appeared to take the wind out of the Bulldogs’ sails for a period in the third quarter, with Michael Walters and Darcy Tucker capitalising on their side’s new-found momentum.
But the gap was 44 points at three-quarter time as the Dogs cruised to their ninth win of the season to improve their record to 9-9.
