DALE Morris may have played his final AFL game after scans confirmed he ruptured the ACL in his left knee against Fremantle on Sunday. 

Morris, 36, suffered a partial tear of the same ligament in the pre-season but chose to avoid surgery, preferring a natural rehab ahead of his VFL return a month ago. 

Sunday was his first AFL game this season but he suffered a tweak to his knee in the first term, before suffering a full rupture in the third quarter. 

"Dale will undergo a conventional ACL reconstruction today," medical services manager Chris Bell said. 

"Although he passed every test, ticked every box in rehab and returned to play a month of VFL football, unfortunately Dale's knee was unable to withstand the high demands of AFL football."

It was the second year running - albeit in different knees - that Morris injured an ACL before the season proper.

He returned at AFL level in round 11 last year and played 11 matches for the season.

This year, Morris played four successful matches at VFL level, before re-injuring his knee in his AFL return.

Luke Beveridge with Dale Morris in the rooms after the game. Picture: Michael Willson, AFL Photos