A year after the anterior cruciate ligament rupture that threatened to end his AFL career, Western Bulldogs ironman Dale Morris has suffered the same injury in the other knee.

In a massive blow for the Bulldogs a week out from the start of the season, Morris hyperextended his left knee during Friday morning training.

The extent of the injury is unclear, including whether he will need a reconstruction.

Morris already was renowned as one of the AFL’s toughest and most durable players when he had a partial rupture of his right ACL in the pre-season a year ago.

He remarkably returned to the team mid-season and played 11 games.

“It is a devastating blow for the Bulldogs’ veteran on the eve of the 2019 season, after he completed a full pre-season and played a key role in the club’s two (pre-season) matches,” the Bulldogs said of his new injury.

The 36-year-old key defender has played 252 senior games and last August he signed a one-year contract extension.

He remains a crucial member of the Bulldogs’ defence.

Morris broke his leg in 2011 and famously played with a broken back during the Bulldogs’ historic 2016 finals series.

He ran down Sydney star Lance Franklin in a crucial moment during the last quarter of the 2016 grand final and was one of the heroes of the Bulldogs’ drought-breaking premiership.

Morris has had nine broken bones during his career, including two during 2017.