diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/xilinx/xilinx_axienet_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/xilinx/xilinx_axienet_main.c
index a25423e6fb36..415179cbdc51 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/xilinx/xilinx_axienet_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/xilinx/xilinx_axienet_main.c
@@ -160,24 +160,37 @@ static void axienet_dma_bd_release(struct net_device *ndev)
 	int i;
 	struct axienet_local *lp = netdev_priv(ndev);
 
+	/* If we end up here, tx_bd_v must have been DMA allocated. */
+	dma_free_coherent(ndev->dev.parent,
+			  sizeof(*lp->tx_bd_v) * lp->tx_bd_num,
+			  lp->tx_bd_v,
+			  lp->tx_bd_p);
+
+	if (!lp->rx_bd_v)
+		return;
+
 	for (i = 0; i < lp->rx_bd_num; i++) {
-		dma_unmap_single(ndev->dev.parent, lp->rx_bd_v[i].phys,
-				 lp->max_frm_size, DMA_FROM_DEVICE);
+		/* A NULL skb means this descriptor has not been initialised
+		 * at all.
+		 */
+		if (!lp->rx_bd_v[i].skb)
+			break;
+
 		dev_kfree_skb(lp->rx_bd_v[i].skb);
+
+		/* For each descriptor, we programmed cntrl with the (non-zero)
+		 * descriptor size, after it had been successfully allocated.
+		 * So a non-zero value in there means we need to unmap it.
+		 */
+		if (lp->rx_bd_v[i].cntrl)
+			dma_unmap_single(ndev->dev.parent, lp->rx_bd_v[i].phys,
+					 lp->max_frm_size, DMA_FROM_DEVICE);
 	}
 
-	if (lp->rx_bd_v) {
-		dma_free_coherent(ndev->dev.parent,
-				  sizeof(*lp->rx_bd_v) * lp->rx_bd_num,
-				  lp->rx_bd_v,
-				  lp->rx_bd_p);
-	}
-	if (lp->tx_bd_v) {
-		dma_free_coherent(ndev->dev.parent,
-				  sizeof(*lp->tx_bd_v) * lp->tx_bd_num,
-				  lp->tx_bd_v,
-				  lp->tx_bd_p);
-	}
+	dma_free_coherent(ndev->dev.parent,
+			  sizeof(*lp->rx_bd_v) * lp->rx_bd_num,
+			  lp->rx_bd_v,
+			  lp->rx_bd_p);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -207,7 +220,7 @@ static int axienet_dma_bd_init(struct net_device *ndev)
 					 sizeof(*lp->tx_bd_v) * lp->tx_bd_num,
 					 &lp->tx_bd_p, GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!lp->tx_bd_v)
-		goto out;
+		return -ENOMEM;
 
 	lp->rx_bd_v = dma_alloc_coherent(ndev->dev.parent,
 					 sizeof(*lp->rx_bd_v) * lp->rx_bd_num,