Dale Morris is the players’ player, the man you want on your team.

Tough, selfless, resilient and fearless, he’s never left a contest wondering.

So when Dale Morris describes those traits in a teammates performance you sit-up and listen.

Late in the second term, with the sub already activated, Tom Williams seemingly left the field with a calf strain not to return.

However in match defining move, and with the medical staff’s clearance, Williams battled on for a second half of football, producing a three goal performance that would ultimately help lead the Dogs to victory over Melbourne.

“I don’t think many players would have continued to push through the injuries that he’s had to deal with over the years,” Morris said of Williams in an interview on SEN 1116 radio.

“A lot of people would have gone ‘nope, it’s not for me it’s too hard,” but the resilience he’s shown has been fantastic.”

Having arrived at Victoria University Whitten Oval in the same year, Morris knows the Tom Williams story better than most.

“To get some consistency in his footy is all he’s ever wanted,” Morris said.

“Internally we know how valuable he is to our team and how talented he is, so for him to be able to push through the injury on the weekend like he did was just a fantastic effort.”

With a career to date spent largely in defence, Williams’ offensive work against Melbourne helped contributed to one of the Bulldogs’ most efficient forward performances, creating 24 scores from 42 inside 50s.

Most importantly thought the Dogs achieved the win that had proved elusive in recent weeks.

“We’ve been in a lot of games this year, and just haven’t been able to quite close them out, but it was good to close this one out and get the four points.”

“We’re heading in the right direction, and internally we know what we do with our meetings and training and the direction we’re heading.”

“This year we’ve been in a lot more games earlier and haven’t been able to find that way to win.”

“It was good to get that reward on the weekend.”