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EXPERIENCED Bulldogs Matthew Boyd and Dale Morris would have been delisted at the end of 2015 if not for Luke Beveridge, club president Peter Gordon revealed after the premiership triumph.
The president spoke for over 30 minutes and touched on a number of topics in the post-Grand Final function at Melbourne Convention Centre on Saturday night.
Gordon said Bulldogs staff had been discussing the future of defenders Boyd and Morris midway through last year and had plans to discard both, with some keen to pursue a longer-term plan, before Beveridge stepped in.
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Beveridge's argument was the Dogs had a chance to win a flag and shouldn't cut players who could contribute, even if they were over 30.
"There were one or two blokes over the age of 30 that the red line had been put through," Gordon said.
"'Bevo' had been pretty quiet during the whole meeting but at one point he said, 'Jase' (list manager Jason McCartney), I just don't believe in this sort of stuff (premiership windows). I need you to know that there are a few guys on that list who can actually make really important contributions for us in the next couple of years'.
"There are no prizes for guessing who I'm talking about. I'm talking about Matthew Boyd and I'm talking about Dale Morris."
The club would announce one-year extensions for the pair ahead of the Dogs' elimination final loss to Adelaide last season.
Morris, 33, played through this year's finals series with two fractured vertebrae in his back, an injury he suffered in the round 23 loss to Fremantle.
He was one of the Dogs' best in the Grand Final and is signed on for 2017.
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Boyd enjoyed an outstanding season, which included making the interchange bench of the All Australian team.
But there was still speculation about his future until Beveridge confirmed last month the 34-year-old would continue next year.
