Western Bulldogs veteran Dale Morris is hoping for a smooth preparation for the AFL grand final after his panicked prelude to the preliminary final.
Morris sparked fears a very late team change would be required just minutes before the Dogs' preliminary final against Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium.
But it was an equipment issue rather than an unfortunate muscle strain that floored the important defender.
"The heel raises I had in my boots were old ones and they'd gone rock-hard, so I needed a changeover," Morris said.
"The physio was stressing trying to find them because we had the anthem coming up. My mum rang me after the game and was stressed thinking that I had (injured) something.
"I had to tell her 'No, Mum, it's all right'."
Morris wears the orthotic wedges to relieve strain on his calf muscles, but joked he also wore them to give himself another centimetre or two of height when matched up against taller opponents like Lance Franklin.
The last-minute excitement sparked fears the 33-year-old was struggling with an existing condition, but Morris said there is no chance he'll miss the grand final against Sydney.
"It got blown up into something that it's not, unfortunately," he said with a wry smile.
