Veteran defender Dale Morris will make his AFL comeback on Sunday afternoon against Fremantle.

The much-loved Bulldog will play his first game of the season, as revealed by senior coach Luke Beveridge in a team meeting on Wednesday. 

Morris sustained an ACL injury during pre-season for the second year in succession.

In 2018, the inspirational defender returned from a partial tear in round 11 of the AFL season. 

After four solid matches at VFL level for Footscray, the 36-year-old will now add to his 252 AFL career games.

Morris has been on the cusp of selection in recent weeks, having twice being named as an emergency.

Beveridge last week said the much-loved premiership Bulldog would need to force his way back in.

"Ordinarily he's just a walk-up start (but) our backline's playing pretty well and it's difficult to omit any of those lads," the Bulldogs’ coach said ahead of last week’s game against St Kilda.

But Morris will return this week to bolster a defence that conceded 116 points on the weekend. 

The determined defender said earlier this year he would fight his way back in.

“Not once have I thought, ‘maybe this is it’,” Morris said in March, after sustaining another ACL injury. 

“That’s just not in my DNA. I want to play for as long as I can, and this doesn’t change that. 

“I’ll be doing everything I can to get back, because I just love playing for this football club so much.”

Morris will make his return as draftee Rhylee West makes his AFL debut – having played with his father, Scott, for four years from 2005 to 2008.