At least the Western Bulldogs's bleak 2018 AFL campaign won't be Dale Morris' last.
The much-admired veteran is set to play on next season, and possibly beyond, after coach Luke Beveridge gave the move his seal of approval on Tuesday.
Morris, who will turn 36 in December, has been restricted to four games this season by knee injuries, but recently expressed his desire to play on.
The rugged defender, who famously played in the 2016 grand final win over Sydney with a broken back, has endeared himself to fans time and again with his ability to play through pain over the course of his 245-game career.
"I want him to go on if he's fit and healthy," Beveridge said.
"He's playing pretty well, he's been strong enough and his desire to go is there ... he thinks he's got more than a year in him.
"I don't pay much attention to the actual age of the player ... it's just their output and their willingness to get everything out of themselves.
"He's had some injuries so he's missed some footy but I think he can go more than one year ... time will tell.
"Hopefully he just gets through and plays some really good footy and it's a no-brainer at the end of the year."
It's good news for Bulldogs fans who lost a favourite son prematurely this week when Clay Smith was forced into retirement at the age of 25.
Beveridge paid glowing tribute to Smith, whose career was cut short after 55 games by a degenerative knee injury.
The 2016 premiers are out of the finals race with seven rounds to play, but the coach is looking to build a platform to launch into next season, starting with Saturday's clash with Melbourne at the MCG.
"We've got no other choice but to continue to look for some improvement," he said.
"We're still giving up big scores to the opposition which isn't ideal.
"We've just got to continue to look forward and hopefully we're putting some good things in place for the future.
"Those signs are there ... it's just looking for some more consistency."
Jack Macrae is in the selection mix after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in a loss to Port Adelaide in round 13.
