The Western Bulldogs are determined not to rush Dale Morris as the much-respected veteran ponders his AFL future following season-ending knee surgery.
It is widely assumed the 36-year-old will retire after suffering a third anterior cruciate ligament injury in the past 18 months in his first AFL game of the season in round 19.
Unlike the previous two injuries, Morris has undergone a traditional knee reconstruction, which generally requires 10 to 12 months recovery time.
He has been resting following the surgery in late July but returned to the club to touch base with coach Luke Beveridge on Thursday.
“We sat down for an hour and had a conversation … he’s weighing up what he wants to do in the future,” Beveridge said.
“The discussion is around whether he wants to keep playing and what that looks like or what his vocational choice outside footy is going to be and getting that right with us being able to help him.
“So we’re working through that (but) I’m not in any position to give any certainty there.”
It says a lot about the esteem that the 253-game veteran is held in at Whitten Oval that continuing into a 16th AFL season hasn’t already been ruled out by the club.
Retirement would be almost certain for most footballers in that scenario, but Beveridge concedes Morris, whose recuperative powers are the stuff of legend, isn’t like most footballers.
“He was semi-walking yesterday on one crutch … he might be right by round 23,” the coach quipped.
“I don’t think there have been many 36-year-olds who have ruptured an ACL that have been determined to keep playing at the level.
“But Dale Morris is a very different man.
“He loves the game and he loves the club and is proud of what he’s achieved and deep down he doesn’t want it to end.
“But it’s a long journey back from a knee reconstruction, so we’ll see what happens.”