Dale Morris will be formally recognised as one of the Western Bulldogs’ all-time greats when he is inducted into the Club’s Hall of Fame next month.
A revered and much-loved servant of his era, Morris played 253 games in the red, white and blue across 15 years.
Enduring his fair share of injury misfortunes – which included a broken back, leg and arm and three ACL injuries – his resilience and perseverance was second to none.
Morris was selected with pick 19 in the 2004 Rookie Draft after four years biding his time in the VFL with Werribee – refusing to give up on his AFL dream.
He made his senior debut in Round 5 the following year, and barely missed a game in his first nine seasons.
The consistent and reliable defender was rewarded with his maiden All Australian blazer in 2008, and achieved the ultimate success in Bulldogs’ drought-breaking 2016 premiership.
Remarkably, he played the entire 2016 finals series with two fractured vertebrae.
Morris eventually called it time ahead of the 2019 finals series after rupturing his ACL for the third time in 18 months.
He will become the 24th member of the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Hall of Fame, following teammate Bob Murphy as recently announced 2023 inductees.
Another three players will be inducted at the not-to-be-missed event on Saturday 10 June, with two current Hall of Famers to be elevated to Legends and two moments in the Club’s history to be celebrated.
DALE MORRIS
DOB: 29/12/82
Height: 190cm
Recruited from: Essendon Doutta Stars (EDFL)/Werribee (VFL), Pick 19 in 2004 Rookie Draft
Guernsey number: #38
Debut: Round 5, 2005
Games: 253
Honours: All Australian (2008), Premiership player (2016), Charles Sutton Medal runner-up (2016)
2023 HALL OF FAME EVENT
Date: Saturday, June 10
Time: 6.30pm -11pm
Venue: Centrepiece at Melbourne Park
Ticket prices: Single ticket - $350, Table of 10 - $3000
Ticket includes: Three-course meal and beverage package, live entertainment, silent auction and raffle.
