The Dogs were beaten by the Eagles at Etihad Stadium in one of the upsets of the season, and the following week they spent three days on the Gold Coast in a team-building trip ahead of their clash with the Brisbane Lions.
Morris said the Eagles loss combined with the trip away inspired the Dogs to win every game for the season afterwards.
"It was a nice-wake-up call in the end and I guess we needed that leading into the games coming up," Morris said on Wednesday at Whitten Oval.
"Our pressure wasn't up to scratch that game and we really had to lift in a lot of areas.
"We needed that game coming in, and it was good timing in the end."
He agreed the brief stint in the Queensland sunshine galvanised the group after a difficult three-week period.
"We all stuck together; no matter what happens, all the team can do is stick together," he said.
"The Brisbane trip was really good timing – late in the year, get all the boys together and stick close.
"It all worked out really well."
Morris said the Dogs hadn't given up hope tall defender Tom Williams would overcome a broken foot in time to play a part in their finals campaign.
"Tommy will do everything to get his body right to get back in," he said.
"We haven't ruled him out, and he's not ruled out of finals at all. He's handy down there as another big guy.
"He'll be up for selection as soon as he can, as soon as he thinks his body is right, which we hope isn't too far away."
Morris said the young backman, whose short career has been plagued by injuries, was staying positive despite the latest setback.
"He deals with it pretty well now. He's had a few injuries, so I guess he knows what to expect," he said.
"His spirits are still high, he's still around the club and he's doing well."
Coach Rodney Eade said Williams was on track to return through the VFL next weekend.
