Western Bulldogs
Encyclopedia
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football
club which plays in the Australian Football League
(AFL). The club is based at the Whitten Oval
in West Footscray
, an inner-western
suburb of Melbourne
. The club draws its supporter base from this traditionally working class area and plays its home matches at Docklands Stadium in the Melbourne Docklands
area which is also in the city's inner-west. Prior to October 1996 the team competed as the Footscray Football Club, but since then has traded as the Western Bulldogs.
Founded in 1883, the club won nine premierships in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) between 1898 and 1924. Since joining the then Victorian Football League
(VFL), the predecessor to the AFL, in 1925, the club has been one of the League's least successful, both in terms of on-field success – its only VFL/AFL Premiership coming in 1954 – and off-field resources. However, in recent years, the club has taken significant steps to eliminate this stigma, achieving stable sponsorship and consistently strengthening membership figures (34,842 members in 2010). The Whitten Oval has undergone a A$
20 million redevelopment – set to make its headquarters and training facility among the best in the league.
In recent seasons, the club has been finding increasing popularity within the football
community for its highly skilful and attacking style of play – a style that saw it reach the semi-finals in 2006 and the preliminary finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2010, the club won the AFL pre-season competition, the NAB Cup, and was again regarded as among the favourites to win the AFL Premiership.
Footscray was relatively late in joining the Victorian Football League
(VFL), the predecessor of the AFL. It did so in 1925 as the "Footscray Football Club", at the same time as Hawthorn
and North Melbourne
, all three coming from the Victorian Football Association (VFA).
Footscray, also known as the Prince Imperials from 1880–1882, played in the junior division of the VFA before joining the senior division of the VFA in 1886. Following the famed break away of 1896, during which the stronger VFA clubs formed the VFL, the tricolours (as they were known during this period) became a force in the VFA. The club went on to win 9 premierships between 1898 and 1924. This included a hattrick
from 1898 to 1900 and four premierships between 1919 and 1924. The 1924 premiership would be Footscray's last in the VFA. The club played against the then premiers of the VFL, Essendon, to be proclaimed the "champion of Victoria".
, Herb Henderson
and Jim Gallagher
. They finally won the first semi against Essendon
, and the following year took out their only premiership so far, beating Geelong
and then Melbourne
in the 1954 VFL Grand Final
.
This success was in no small part due to two champions of the club – Charlie Sutton
the wily and tough captain-coach at the time, and Ted Whitten
snr., otherwise known as 'E.J.' or 'Mr Football', one of Australian Rules' best ever players. Charlie claims to have invented the modern play-on style of football – run, handball, run, kick. Teddy Whitten
has been the source of more arguments than any other on who is the greatest player to grace the fields of Australian rules football. Whitten was also famous for his inventive and lightning flick pass ,which was banned due to the umpire's difficulty in distinguishing whether the ball was thrown, or hit with the open hand!
However, Footscray failed to capitalise on their premiership success, falling off in the latter part of the decade and finishing with their first wooden spoon in 1959. But they bounced back to reach the 1961 Grand Final
where they were beaten by Hawthorn
. The rest of the decade was a bleak era for the club, particularly between 1965 and 1969, when they finished in the bottom three every year.
Ted Whitten Snr. retired as a player in 1970 and held the record for the most VFL games played at the time (321 games), but he would continue in a coaching capacity until the end of 1971. The 1970s were relatively better but the club still could not win a final – and by decade's end they were back near the bottom.
The main stars of the decade included Gary Dempsey
, the heroic ruckman
who was badly burnt in Lara bushfire of January 1969 but managed to take out the game's top individual award, the Brownlow Medal
in 1975. Promising South Australian import Neil Sachse had his neck broken in a freak accident while playing against Fitzroy at the Western Oval. He was left quadriplegic.
In 1978 Kelvin Templeton
became the first Bulldogs player to kick 100 goals in a season, including a club record of 15.9 in Round 13 against St. Kilda.
Mick Malthouse
was appointed senior coach in 1984, and a dramatic improvement saw them rise to second position in 1985 before a gallant ten-point loss in the Preliminary Final against Hawthorn. The club boasted a wonderful list at this time, with Beasley, Doug Hawkins, Brian Royal, Rick Kennedy, Steve Wallis, Peter Foster, Mick Mclean, Jim Edmond, Andrew Purser, Steve MacPherson and Brad Hardie forming the backbone of a new breed of Bulldog. The Bulldogs also narrowly missed out on finals action in 1987 when they were beaten by Melbourne in the last round, in front of a record crowd at their home ground.
The Bulldogs survived a proposed merger with the Fitzroy Lions when the people of Footscray, led by businessman Peter Gordon and a host of others, rallied to raise funds to pay off the club's debts. In further developments, former club player Terry Wheeler
was named as Malthouse's replacement while champion veteran wingman Doug Hawkins
was appointed captain.
ran around the man on the mark and kicked a goal to put his team in front. Although they just missed out on the finals, there was much to look forward to, and the year was capped off with diminutive rover Tony Liberatore
winning the Brownlow Medal.
After a disappointing 1991, the Bulldogs bounced back in brilliant fashion in 1992, finishing second on the ladder and making their first finals appearance since 1985. Danny Del'Re was a revelation at full forward, while champion veterans Hawkins, Royal, Wallis, Foster and MacPherson helped ensure the club played the most exciting brand of football for many years. Scott Wynd capped a magnificent year with the Brownlow Medal, while Chris Grant and Simon Atkins also had outstanding seasons.
In 1994 and 1995, the Bulldogs again made the finals, only to again be eliminated by the Demons and the Cats. Leon Cameron and Daniel Southern were stars, but it was a familiar story, with the team tripping at the final hurdles again. In August, club champion Ted Whitten snr. lost his battle with prostate cancer and such was his status in the game that he was given a state funeral. In his honour, the club renamed the Western Oval the Whitten Oval and a memorial statue was erected outside the stadium.
Under the tightly focused management by club president David Smorgon
, driven coaching by Terry Wallace
, and the on-field leadership of Chris Grant
(who narrowly missed a Brownlow Medal in 1996 and 1997) and Tony Liberatore
, the club had a relatively successful period through the mid- to late 1990s, making the finals from 1997 to 2000. The 1997 season in particular, will be remembered for the club's cruellest loss, losing to eventual premiers Adelaide in the preliminary final by two points after leading for much of the game and looking like securing their first grand final placement since 1961. Rohan Smith, Brad Johnson, Chris Grant, Jose Romero, Paul Hudson and company were catalysts in a fine season, but without a premiership win, the club's future as ever looked on a knife's edge.
During Smorgon's term, the club was renamed from Footscray to Western Bulldogs and moved their home games from the Whitten Oval, first to Optus Oval
from 1997 to 1999, and then to the newly-built Docklands Stadium for the 2000 season.
After Terry Wallace's shock departure at the end of 2002, assistant coach Peter Rohde
took charge, but after two miserable seasons, the Bulldogs anticipated a brighter future with the appointment of Rodney Eade
as coach in 2005. Improvement was immediate with the Bulldogs winning 11 games and finishing ninth on the ladder in 2005, just missing out on the finals by half a game. Missing the finals dealt a blow to both players and supporters of the team as hot late season form saw the team being considered real premiership contenders, even though a finals berth had not been secured.
In 2006, the Bulldogs continued to play well despite a disastrous run of injuries throughout the year; with five players having to have knee reconstructions, including captain Luke Darcy
, Robert Murphy and a list of other major injuries to key players. Despite this setback, the Bulldogs finished the home-and-away season with 13 wins (see 2006 AFL season
), making it to the finals for the first time since 2000, with Scott West and Brad Johnson continuing their inspirational standards. They won the Elimination Final against Collingwood in front of 84,000 at the MCG and reached the semi-finals before being defeated by eventual Premiers the West Coast Eagles
at Subiaco Oval. Many fans expect the club to be potential Premiership contenders in the near future. (See Current AFL ladder)
On 5 August 2006, Chris Grant
broke the Western Bulldogs record for the most senior AFL/VFL games at the club. On this day he played his 330th game, breaking Doug Hawkins'
previous record of 329 games.
Looking for new markets, the club had played one game every year at the S.C.G. in Sydney and one home game each year at Marrara Oval
in Darwin
. On 16 August 2006, the league announced that the Bulldogs' Sydney "home" game would be played at Manuka Oval
, Canberra
(the country's capital) as of 2007, for the next three years.
Prior to the 2007, the Bulldogs made a splash by trading for Brisbane midfielder Jason Akermanis
. They were hot Premiership favourites early on in 2007, but yet again injuries took their toll, and they faltered in the last seven rounds, losing six games and drawing one, to finish 13th.
In the following pre-season they traded away Jordan McMahon
to Richmond
and Sam Power
to North Melbourne
. They also recruited ruckman Ben Hudson
and forward Scott Welsh
from Adelaide and back Tim Callan
from Geelong
in what was a very successful trade week.
In 2008
, the Bulldogs were widely predicted for the bottom four after the pre-season
, but have had a successful home-and-away season, finishing in third place with fifteen wins, one draw and six losses (five of which occurred in the season's last seven games). The Dogs' finals campaign began with a heavy loss to Hawthorn
by 51 points at the MCG in the first qualifying final, but won the subsequent semi-final against Sydney
by 37 points. The Bulldogs lost their Preliminary Final match against reigning premiers Geelong
.
Much was expected of the Western Bulldogs following their 3rd-place finish in 2008. They began the season with a 63-point thrashing of Fremantle
in Perth, and then recorded solid wins over North Melbourne and Richmond before losing their next three games to West Coast (in Perth), Carlton and St. Kilda who would have won by more than 28 points had it not been for inaccurate goal-kicking.
The Bulldogs then notched up their first away win against Adelaide since 2001, kicking eight goals to one in the third quarter to win by 32 points. The following week, they survived a determined effort from Melbourne by 14 points before succumbing to Geelong in one of the games of the season, storming home in the last quarter but failing to take the points when captain Brad Johnson missed from a tight angle after the siren, the Cats prevailing by two points.
The narrow loss only seemed to spur the Bulldogs further, and they proceeded to win their next five games, including a 93-point drubbing of Port Adelaide in Darwin and a highly memorable 88-point win over the reigning premiers Hawthorn, 19.19 (133) to 6.9 (45). They led 9.6 (60) to 0.2 (2) at quarter-time and 13.10 (88) to 0.4 (4) at half-time.
After a bit of a dip in form including losses to Collingwood, St Kilda and a massive upset against West Coast at home, the Bulldogs rebounded with a hard-fought 18-point against the Brisbane Lions
at the Gabba, a win regarded by many fans as the best of the season. This was followed up by an equally impressive 14-point win over Geelong. In the final round of the home-and-away season, the Bulldogs needed to defeat Collingwood by more than 22 points in order to reclaim third place on the ladder. After controlling a tight game for three quarters, the Bulldogs managed to pull away and, with goals to Shaun Higgins and Brad Johnson, emerged victorious by 24 points, thus earning the right to play Geelong in the first week of the finals.
There was media expectation that the would feature in the top 4 in 2010 after doing so in 2008 and 2009, and they did, just. The pre-season
delivered the Western Bulldogs their first competition victory since 1970. The Bulldogs defeated by 40 points in the NAB Cup Grand Final, with new recruit Barry Hall
starring with seven goals and winning the Michael Tuck Medal
for being the best player. However, after a promising preseason, the bulldogs failed to step up to the challenge of making their first grand final in 49 years after being demolished by Collingwood in the first round of the finals, coming back against the Sydney Swans and losing after a half time lead to St Kilda in a devastating preliminary final and what was to be captain Brad Johnson's last game.
2011
was a disappointing year for the Bulldogs. After a Round 1 thrashing at the hands of Essendon
by 55 points, the season never looked on track. After Round 21, which was a 49 point loss to Essendon, coach Rodney Eade was sacked by the Western Bulldogs after 7 years at the helm. The club finished the year with wins against Port Adelaide
and Fremantle
and a loss against Hawthorn
. The Bulldogs finished 2011 with a 9 win, 13 loss record for the season
Shortly after the 2011 season was completed, long-time Geelong and Essendon assistant Brendan McCartney
was appointed as the senior coach on a three year contract. During the following months, the Bulldogs assembled a new-look coaching panel consisting of senior coach McCartney, former Geelong
and St Kilda ruckman Steven King
, former Sydney Swans
and North Melbourne
midfielder Shannon Grant
, former Bulldogs champion and 300 game player Rohan Smith
, and former Bulldogs and Port Adelaide player Brett Montgomery
.
It is expected that during the 2011-12 off-season, former Bulldog Paul Dimattina
will challenge David Smorgon
for the Bulldogs presidency. Dimattina has indicated that he has an anonymous party that will wipe the club's debt and allow the club to spend more on the football department.
".
We're the team of the mighty West!
Club Song
Before the Footscray Football Club became the Western Bulldogs, the song used different Lyrics;
Also used was a version Mike Brady originally wrote:
named 'Sid' (pedigree
name Murlane Bigshot).
Sid appears at all of the Western Bulldogs home games at Etihad Stadium wearing the club colours.
He can be found walking around the perimeter of the ground prior to the game. He then waits for the players to come out on the ground, giving him a pat as they run past to the banner.
During the game 'Sid' has a reserved area at the Footscray End (Gate 7) where fans can come and give him a pat and have their photo taken.
1 Following finals matches
* Chris Grant
gained the most votes in 1997 but was not eligible to win the award due to suspension
References
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club which plays in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL). The club is based at the Whitten Oval
Whitten Oval
Whitten Oval is a stadium in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located at 417 Barkly Street, West Footscray. It is the training and administrative headquarters of the Western Bulldogs Football Club, which competes in the Australian Football League.Formerly known as the...
in West Footscray
West Footscray, Victoria
West Footscray is a suburb 7 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, West Footscray had a population of 9776.-Medicine:...
, an inner-western
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
suburb of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. The club draws its supporter base from this traditionally working class area and plays its home matches at Docklands Stadium in the Melbourne Docklands
Melbourne Docklands
Docklands is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia occupying an area extending up to 2 km west of and adjacent to Melbourne's Central Business District . Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
area which is also in the city's inner-west. Prior to October 1996 the team competed as the Footscray Football Club, but since then has traded as the Western Bulldogs.
Founded in 1883, the club won nine premierships in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) between 1898 and 1924. Since joining the then Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL), the predecessor to the AFL, in 1925, the club has been one of the League's least successful, both in terms of on-field success – its only VFL/AFL Premiership coming in 1954 – and off-field resources. However, in recent years, the club has taken significant steps to eliminate this stigma, achieving stable sponsorship and consistently strengthening membership figures (34,842 members in 2010). The Whitten Oval has undergone a A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
20 million redevelopment – set to make its headquarters and training facility among the best in the league.
In recent seasons, the club has been finding increasing popularity within the football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
community for its highly skilful and attacking style of play – a style that saw it reach the semi-finals in 2006 and the preliminary finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2010, the club won the AFL pre-season competition, the NAB Cup, and was again regarded as among the favourites to win the AFL Premiership.
Club history
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL), the predecessor of the AFL. It did so in 1925 as the "Footscray Football Club", at the same time as Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
and North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
, all three coming from the Victorian Football Association (VFA).
Footscray, also known as the Prince Imperials from 1880–1882, played in the junior division of the VFA before joining the senior division of the VFA in 1886. Following the famed break away of 1896, during which the stronger VFA clubs formed the VFL, the tricolours (as they were known during this period) became a force in the VFA. The club went on to win 9 premierships between 1898 and 1924. This included a hattrick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
from 1898 to 1900 and four premierships between 1919 and 1924. The 1924 premiership would be Footscray's last in the VFA. The club played against the then premiers of the VFL, Essendon, to be proclaimed the "champion of Victoria".
Joining the VFL
Footscray adapted relatively quickly to the standard of VFL football despite losing some of their VFA stars, and by 1928 were already a contender for the finals, missing only on percentage in 1931. Though they slipped to eleventh in 1930, 1935 and 1937, the following year they became the first of the new clubs to reach the finals. They fell back drastically in 1939, but during the war-torn 1940s were more consistent than ever, winning their first nine games in 1946.1950s and E.J.
In this period, Footscray failed to win in finals, losing six first semis between 1938 and 1951. In 1953, however, they set a record of conceding only 959 points in the home-and-away games due to a powerful defence featuring Wally DonaldWally Donald
Wally Donald was recruited by Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League, now Australian Football League, in 1946 from Braybrook. He played only one senior game that year, but from 1947 to 1957 he was a fixture in the Footscray team...
, Herb Henderson
Herb Henderson
Herb Henderson is a former Australian rules footballer who was recruited by Footscray Football Club , in the Victorian Football League, now AFL from Mildura Imperials for the 1950 season...
and Jim Gallagher
Jim Gallagher (footballer)
Jim Gallagher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the VFL during the 1950s. He was a member of Footscray's 1954 premiership winning side, playing as a half back flanker...
. They finally won the first semi against Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, and the following year took out their only premiership so far, beating Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and then Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
in the 1954 VFL Grand Final
1954 VFL Grand Final
The 1954 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Footscray Football Club and Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 September 1954. It was the 58th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...
.
| 1954 VFL Grand Final 1954 VFL Grand Final The 1954 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Footscray Football Club and Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 September 1954. It was the 58th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers... |
G | B | Total |
| Western Bulldogs (Footscray) | 15 | 12 | 102 |
| Melbourne Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria.... |
7 | 9 | 51 |
| Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light... |
Crowd: 80,897 | ||
This success was in no small part due to two champions of the club – Charlie Sutton
Charlie Sutton
Charlie Sutton is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .Although he served the club for many years as coach and committee man, he is perhaps best known for captaining his team, Footscray to their only premiership, in 1954.A tough, nuggety Bulldog player who...
the wily and tough captain-coach at the time, and Ted Whitten
Ted Whitten
Edward James "EJ" Whitten was an Australian rules football player and media personality. He played a then-record 321 Victorian Football League games for the Footscray Football Club between 1951 and 1970...
snr., otherwise known as 'E.J.' or 'Mr Football', one of Australian Rules' best ever players. Charlie claims to have invented the modern play-on style of football – run, handball, run, kick. Teddy Whitten
Ted Whitten
Edward James "EJ" Whitten was an Australian rules football player and media personality. He played a then-record 321 Victorian Football League games for the Footscray Football Club between 1951 and 1970...
has been the source of more arguments than any other on who is the greatest player to grace the fields of Australian rules football. Whitten was also famous for his inventive and lightning flick pass ,which was banned due to the umpire's difficulty in distinguishing whether the ball was thrown, or hit with the open hand!
However, Footscray failed to capitalise on their premiership success, falling off in the latter part of the decade and finishing with their first wooden spoon in 1959. But they bounced back to reach the 1961 Grand Final
1961 VFL Grand Final
The 1961 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Footscray Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 23 September 1961. It was the 65th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
where they were beaten by Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
. The rest of the decade was a bleak era for the club, particularly between 1965 and 1969, when they finished in the bottom three every year.
1970s
The main stars of the decade included Gary Dempsey
Gary Dempsey
Gary Dempsey is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League....
, the heroic ruckman
Ruckman (Australian rules football position)
In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages . The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field...
who was badly burnt in Lara bushfire of January 1969 but managed to take out the game's top individual award, the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
in 1975. Promising South Australian import Neil Sachse had his neck broken in a freak accident while playing against Fitzroy at the Western Oval. He was left quadriplegic.
In 1978 Kelvin Templeton
Kelvin Templeton
Kelvin Templeton is a former Australian rules footballer. At sixteen years of age Templeton kicked 100 goals for Traralgon in the 1973 Latrobe Valley FL season...
became the first Bulldogs player to kick 100 goals in a season, including a club record of 15.9 in Round 13 against St. Kilda.
1980s
With the disappointing 1970s behind it, the club introduced an array of stars during this decade. Simon Beasley became a household name after being recruited from Swan Districts in Western Australia to provide the Bulldogs with a genuine replacement for champion Kelvin Templeton. Beasley was to go on to become the Bulldogs' record goal kicker, and face of the club during the mid '80s.Mick Malthouse
Mick Malthouse
Michael "Mick" Malthouse is a former Australian rules footballer and the former coach of the Collingwood Football Club.While his playing career included a premiership for Richmond in the VFL, he is best known for his Australian Football League coaching career.Malthouse is the most successful coach...
was appointed senior coach in 1984, and a dramatic improvement saw them rise to second position in 1985 before a gallant ten-point loss in the Preliminary Final against Hawthorn. The club boasted a wonderful list at this time, with Beasley, Doug Hawkins, Brian Royal, Rick Kennedy, Steve Wallis, Peter Foster, Mick Mclean, Jim Edmond, Andrew Purser, Steve MacPherson and Brad Hardie forming the backbone of a new breed of Bulldog. The Bulldogs also narrowly missed out on finals action in 1987 when they were beaten by Melbourne in the last round, in front of a record crowd at their home ground.
1989
Discontent between players, officials and fans reached an all-time low by the time the 1989 season came round. Barrie Beattie was replaced by businessman and prominent racing personality Nick Columb as Bulldogs president in March. Faced with the prospect of running a club of declining membership and sponsorship, he was also shocked to discover just how bad the debt situation was. While Columb was branded by some as the villain of the story, the wisdom of hindsight shows that had he not instigated the merger, the Western Bulldogs Football Club would cease to exist as it is today.The Bulldogs survived a proposed merger with the Fitzroy Lions when the people of Footscray, led by businessman Peter Gordon and a host of others, rallied to raise funds to pay off the club's debts. In further developments, former club player Terry Wheeler
Terry Wheeler
Terry Wheeler is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached Footscray in the Australian Football League....
was named as Malthouse's replacement while champion veteran wingman Doug Hawkins
Doug Hawkins
Doug Hawkins is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL who made a name for himself in the media in his post-football career.-Early career:...
was appointed captain.
1990s
The Bulldogs began the new decade and their new lease of life in promising fashion, finishing in seventh place with twelve wins, including one against eventual premiers Collingwood, when rover Steven KolyniukSteven Kolyniuk
Steven Kolyniuk is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the AFL.Kolyniuk made his debut for Footscray in 1987 and played with the club for 14 seasons. He managed 177 games before announcing his retirement in 2000. Kolyniuk kicked 198 goals for Footscray with his best...
ran around the man on the mark and kicked a goal to put his team in front. Although they just missed out on the finals, there was much to look forward to, and the year was capped off with diminutive rover Tony Liberatore
Tony Liberatore
Anthony "Tony" Liberatore is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Australian Football League ....
winning the Brownlow Medal.
After a disappointing 1991, the Bulldogs bounced back in brilliant fashion in 1992, finishing second on the ladder and making their first finals appearance since 1985. Danny Del'Re was a revelation at full forward, while champion veterans Hawkins, Royal, Wallis, Foster and MacPherson helped ensure the club played the most exciting brand of football for many years. Scott Wynd capped a magnificent year with the Brownlow Medal, while Chris Grant and Simon Atkins also had outstanding seasons.
In 1994 and 1995, the Bulldogs again made the finals, only to again be eliminated by the Demons and the Cats. Leon Cameron and Daniel Southern were stars, but it was a familiar story, with the team tripping at the final hurdles again. In August, club champion Ted Whitten snr. lost his battle with prostate cancer and such was his status in the game that he was given a state funeral. In his honour, the club renamed the Western Oval the Whitten Oval and a memorial statue was erected outside the stadium.
Under the tightly focused management by club president David Smorgon
David Smorgon
David Smorgon is an Australian businessman. He is most noted for holding the presidency of the Western Bulldogs, an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League...
, driven coaching by Terry Wallace
Terry Wallace
Terry Wallace is a former professional Australian rules football player and coach.As a player, his career spanned three VFL/AFL clubs; most notably Hawthorn where he played in three premierships as well as achieving All-Australian selection, and two Best and Fairests with the Footscray Football Club...
, and the on-field leadership of Chris Grant
Chris Grant
Christopher Lee "Chris" Grant is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, and a legend of the Western Bulldogs Football Club...
(who narrowly missed a Brownlow Medal in 1996 and 1997) and Tony Liberatore
Tony Liberatore
Anthony "Tony" Liberatore is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Australian Football League ....
, the club had a relatively successful period through the mid- to late 1990s, making the finals from 1997 to 2000. The 1997 season in particular, will be remembered for the club's cruellest loss, losing to eventual premiers Adelaide in the preliminary final by two points after leading for much of the game and looking like securing their first grand final placement since 1961. Rohan Smith, Brad Johnson, Chris Grant, Jose Romero, Paul Hudson and company were catalysts in a fine season, but without a premiership win, the club's future as ever looked on a knife's edge.
During Smorgon's term, the club was renamed from Footscray to Western Bulldogs and moved their home games from the Whitten Oval, first to Optus Oval
MC Labour Park
Princes Park is an Australian rules football ground located at Princes Park in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton North, Victoria....
from 1997 to 1999, and then to the newly-built Docklands Stadium for the 2000 season.
2000s
- Main articles: Western Bulldogs seasons 2009Western Bulldogs season 2009The 2009 Western Bulldogs season was the club's 84th since their introduction to the AFL in 1925.- Season summary :The Western Bulldogs were coming off their most successful season in 10 years by making the preliminary final in 2008 and this year finished 3rd overall.- Fixtures :The bulldogs would...
and 2010
After Terry Wallace's shock departure at the end of 2002, assistant coach Peter Rohde
Peter Rohde
Peter Rohde came from the Bendigo region and made his Victorian Football League debut for Carlton Football Club in 1985, transferring to Melbourne Football Club in 1988 and retiring in 1995...
took charge, but after two miserable seasons, the Bulldogs anticipated a brighter future with the appointment of Rodney Eade
Rodney Eade
Rodney "Rocket" Eade is a former Australian rules footballer and the former coach of the Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League...
as coach in 2005. Improvement was immediate with the Bulldogs winning 11 games and finishing ninth on the ladder in 2005, just missing out on the finals by half a game. Missing the finals dealt a blow to both players and supporters of the team as hot late season form saw the team being considered real premiership contenders, even though a finals berth had not been secured.
In 2006, the Bulldogs continued to play well despite a disastrous run of injuries throughout the year; with five players having to have knee reconstructions, including captain Luke Darcy
Luke Darcy
Luke Darcy is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs who now juggles roles in media and administration.-Early life:...
, Robert Murphy and a list of other major injuries to key players. Despite this setback, the Bulldogs finished the home-and-away season with 13 wins (see 2006 AFL season
2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...
), making it to the finals for the first time since 2000, with Scott West and Brad Johnson continuing their inspirational standards. They won the Elimination Final against Collingwood in front of 84,000 at the MCG and reached the semi-finals before being defeated by eventual Premiers the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
at Subiaco Oval. Many fans expect the club to be potential Premiership contenders in the near future. (See Current AFL ladder)
On 5 August 2006, Chris Grant
Chris Grant
Christopher Lee "Chris" Grant is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, and a legend of the Western Bulldogs Football Club...
broke the Western Bulldogs record for the most senior AFL/VFL games at the club. On this day he played his 330th game, breaking Doug Hawkins'
Doug Hawkins
Doug Hawkins is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL who made a name for himself in the media in his post-football career.-Early career:...
previous record of 329 games.
Looking for new markets, the club had played one game every year at the S.C.G. in Sydney and one home game each year at Marrara Oval
Marrara Oval
Marrara Stadium is a sports ground in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The ground was built in 1991 and Australian rules football and Cricket are primarily played at the venue...
in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. On 16 August 2006, the league announced that the Bulldogs' Sydney "home" game would be played at Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval is a 13,550 capacity ground located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia's capital....
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
(the country's capital) as of 2007, for the next three years.
Prior to the 2007, the Bulldogs made a splash by trading for Brisbane midfielder Jason Akermanis
Jason Akermanis
Jason Dean Akermanis is an Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs...
. They were hot Premiership favourites early on in 2007, but yet again injuries took their toll, and they faltered in the last seven rounds, losing six games and drawing one, to finish 13th.
In the following pre-season they traded away Jordan McMahon
Jordan McMahon
Jordan McMahon is an Australian rules football player. McMahon, a native South Australian, was drafted from the Glenelg Football Club in the 2000 AFL Draft as a first round selection by the Western Bulldogs. Playing as a running defender, McMahon had seven seasons at the Western Bulldogs,...
to Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
and Sam Power
Sam Power
Sam Power is an Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .Power started his career at the Western Bulldogs. The Bulldogs picked him up in the 2001 AFL Draft, with their first round selection, number 10 overall...
to North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
. They also recruited ruckman Ben Hudson
Ben Hudson
Ben Hudson is an Australian rules footballer who played 143 games for the Adelaide Crows and Western Bulldogs and currently plays for the Brisbane Lions.-Early life:...
and forward Scott Welsh
Scott Welsh
Scott Nathan Welsh is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League . He is the nephew of former Glenelg and North Melbourne player Kym Hodgeman, and cousin of former Glenelg and Richmond player Ben Moore.Debuting with the Kangaroos in 1996 as a 17-year-old,...
from Adelaide and back Tim Callan
Tim Callan
Tim Callan is a former Australian rules football player for the Western Bulldogs, and the Geelong Football Club. He is the son of former Geelong player, Terry Callan.-Geelong:...
from Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
in what was a very successful trade week.
In 2008
2008 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6 :-Round 7:-AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match:-Round 8:...
, the Bulldogs were widely predicted for the bottom four after the pre-season
2008 NAB Cup
The 2008 NAB Cup was the Australian Football League pre-season competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2008 Premiership season began...
, but have had a successful home-and-away season, finishing in third place with fifteen wins, one draw and six losses (five of which occurred in the season's last seven games). The Dogs' finals campaign began with a heavy loss to Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
by 51 points at the MCG in the first qualifying final, but won the subsequent semi-final against Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
by 37 points. The Bulldogs lost their Preliminary Final match against reigning premiers Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
.
Much was expected of the Western Bulldogs following their 3rd-place finish in 2008. They began the season with a 63-point thrashing of Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
in Perth, and then recorded solid wins over North Melbourne and Richmond before losing their next three games to West Coast (in Perth), Carlton and St. Kilda who would have won by more than 28 points had it not been for inaccurate goal-kicking.
The Bulldogs then notched up their first away win against Adelaide since 2001, kicking eight goals to one in the third quarter to win by 32 points. The following week, they survived a determined effort from Melbourne by 14 points before succumbing to Geelong in one of the games of the season, storming home in the last quarter but failing to take the points when captain Brad Johnson missed from a tight angle after the siren, the Cats prevailing by two points.
The narrow loss only seemed to spur the Bulldogs further, and they proceeded to win their next five games, including a 93-point drubbing of Port Adelaide in Darwin and a highly memorable 88-point win over the reigning premiers Hawthorn, 19.19 (133) to 6.9 (45). They led 9.6 (60) to 0.2 (2) at quarter-time and 13.10 (88) to 0.4 (4) at half-time.
| 2010 AFL National Australia Bank Cup Final 2010 NAB Cup The 2010 NAB Cup was the Australian Football League pre-season competition that was played before the 2010 home and away season. The games were played between 12 February and 13 March, with the first match being between and at Subiaco Oval... |
G | B | Total |
| Western Bulldogs | 2.13 | 8 | 104 |
| St Kilda | 0.9 | 10 | 64 |
| Venue: Etihad Stadium | Crowd: 42,381 | ||
After a bit of a dip in form including losses to Collingwood, St Kilda and a massive upset against West Coast at home, the Bulldogs rebounded with a hard-fought 18-point against the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
at the Gabba, a win regarded by many fans as the best of the season. This was followed up by an equally impressive 14-point win over Geelong. In the final round of the home-and-away season, the Bulldogs needed to defeat Collingwood by more than 22 points in order to reclaim third place on the ladder. After controlling a tight game for three quarters, the Bulldogs managed to pull away and, with goals to Shaun Higgins and Brad Johnson, emerged victorious by 24 points, thus earning the right to play Geelong in the first week of the finals.
There was media expectation that the would feature in the top 4 in 2010 after doing so in 2008 and 2009, and they did, just. The pre-season
2010 NAB Cup
The 2010 NAB Cup was the Australian Football League pre-season competition that was played before the 2010 home and away season. The games were played between 12 February and 13 March, with the first match being between and at Subiaco Oval...
delivered the Western Bulldogs their first competition victory since 1970. The Bulldogs defeated by 40 points in the NAB Cup Grand Final, with new recruit Barry Hall
Barry Hall
Barry Hall is a former Australian rules footballer. Hall is considered to be one of the best forwards of the modern era, being named All-Australian, leading his club's goalkicking on nine occasions and captaining the Sydney Swans to their 2005 AFL Grand Final victory...
starring with seven goals and winning the Michael Tuck Medal
Michael Tuck Medal
Since 1992, the Michael Tuck Medal has been awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final. It is named after Michael Tuck, the current AFL games record holder who played 426 senior matches for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1972 and 1991....
for being the best player. However, after a promising preseason, the bulldogs failed to step up to the challenge of making their first grand final in 49 years after being demolished by Collingwood in the first round of the finals, coming back against the Sydney Swans and losing after a half time lead to St Kilda in a devastating preliminary final and what was to be captain Brad Johnson's last game.
2011
2011 AFL season
The 2011 Australian Football League season was the 115th season of the Australian rules football competition. It was the debut year for , and was scheduled to be the only season to be played with 17 teams...
was a disappointing year for the Bulldogs. After a Round 1 thrashing at the hands of Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
by 55 points, the season never looked on track. After Round 21, which was a 49 point loss to Essendon, coach Rodney Eade was sacked by the Western Bulldogs after 7 years at the helm. The club finished the year with wins against Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
and Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
and a loss against Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
. The Bulldogs finished 2011 with a 9 win, 13 loss record for the season
Shortly after the 2011 season was completed, long-time Geelong and Essendon assistant Brendan McCartney
Brendan McCartney
Brendan McCartney is the senior coach of the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League . McCartney was a former Australian rules football player who played in the Geelong Football League...
was appointed as the senior coach on a three year contract. During the following months, the Bulldogs assembled a new-look coaching panel consisting of senior coach McCartney, former Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and St Kilda ruckman Steven King
Steven King (footballer)
Steven King is a former Australian rules footballer for Geelong and St Kilda in the Australian Football League .- Geelong :...
, former Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
and North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
midfielder Shannon Grant
Shannon Grant
Shannon Grant is a retired Australian rules footballer who was known as one of the premier midfielders in the AFL. He began his career at the Sydney Swans in 1995 before moving to the Kangaroos in 1998 and being a part of their 1999 premiership side, in which he also won the Norm Smith Medal for...
, former Bulldogs champion and 300 game player Rohan Smith
Rohan Smith
Rohan H. Smith is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Debuting in 1992 after being recruited around 1990, Smith has long been one of the Bulldogs' favourite sons, with his reputation rising during the mid-1990s when he became one of the best half-backs in the league...
, and former Bulldogs and Port Adelaide player Brett Montgomery
Brett Montgomery
Brett Montgomery is a retired Australian rules football player and current assistant coach with the Western Bulldogs.-Early life:...
.
It is expected that during the 2011-12 off-season, former Bulldog Paul Dimattina
Paul Dimattina
Paul Dimattina , the son of former Richmond rover Frank Dimattina, is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League....
will challenge David Smorgon
David Smorgon
David Smorgon is an Australian businessman. He is most noted for holding the presidency of the Western Bulldogs, an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League...
for the Bulldogs presidency. Dimattina has indicated that he has an anonymous party that will wipe the club's debt and allow the club to spend more on the football department.
Club song
Western Bulldogs Club Song is sung to "Sons of the SeaSons of the Sea (song)
Sons of the Sea is a traditional sea shanty also known as Bobbing Up and Down Like This and Men of the Ocean.Sons of the Sea was a sea shanty also sung traditionally at Boy Scouts' camps and used as the basis of the title of the 1969 Dad's Army episode Sons of the Sea.It is also the chosen...
".
- Sons of the west,
- Red, white and blue,
- We come out snarling, Bulldogs through and through.
- Bulldogs bite and Bulldogs roar, we give our very best.
- But you can't beat the boys of the Bulldog breed,
We're the team of the mighty West!
Club Song
Before the Footscray Football Club became the Western Bulldogs, the song used different Lyrics;
- Sons of the 'scray,
- Red, white and blue,
- We will come out smiling, if we win or lose.
- Others build their teams my lad, and think they know the game,
- But you can't beat the boys of the Bulldog breed, that make ol' Footscray's name!
Also used was a version Mike Brady originally wrote:
- Sons of the 'scray,
- Red, white and blue,
- We'll come out snarling, we're bulldogs through and through.
- Bulldogs bite and bulldogs roar, remember '54,
- Cos you can't beat the boys of the Bulldog breed, that make ol' Footscray's name!
- See these pups turn into men, To deem thy premiership quest,
- Cos the days are getting older, as the dogs rise up in the West!
Club jumper
- The home jumper is primarily royal blue with a red and white hoop. The player numbers are white, and located high upon the back.
- Although the team officially trades under the name "Western Bulldogs", the initials "F.F.C." for Footscray Football Club, which still remains the club's official name, are placed on the back of the jumper immediately beneath the collar in small white capital letters.
- The clash jumper is primarily white, with a red and blue hoop around the chest area. The player's number is blue, and located high upon the back.
Real life mascot
The 2011 real life mascot for the Western Bulldogs is a pedigree two and a half year old pure white Australian BulldogBulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
named 'Sid' (pedigree
Pedigree
Pedigree can refer to the lineage or genealogical descent of people, whether documented or not, or of animals, whether purebred or not. This can include:-Concepts and documents:...
name Murlane Bigshot).
Sid appears at all of the Western Bulldogs home games at Etihad Stadium wearing the club colours.
He can be found walking around the perimeter of the ground prior to the game. He then waits for the players to come out on the ground, giving him a pat as they run past to the banner.
During the game 'Sid' has a reserved area at the Footscray End (Gate 7) where fans can come and give him a pat and have their photo taken.
Membership base
Since the 1990s the Western Bulldogs have struggled for membership and financial backing, avoiding folding or merging with another club through heavy subsidisation from the AFL as part of a competitive balance fund. However, in 2006 the Bulldogs broke their membership record and continued to sustain these membership figures before another breakthrough Club membership record in 2010.| Year | Members | Finishing position1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 20,064 | Preliminary Finalist |
| 1999 | 20,491 | Semi Finalist |
| 2000 | 18,056 | Elimination Finalist |
| 2001 | 19,085 | 10th |
| 2002 | 20,838 | 12th |
| 2003 | 21,260 | 16th |
| 2004 | 19,295 | 14th |
| 2005 | 21,975 | 9th |
| 2006 | 26,042 | Semi Finalist |
| 2007 | 28,725 | 13th |
| 2008 | 28,306 | Preliminary Finalist |
| 2009 | 28,590 | Preliminary Finalist |
| 2010 | 34,842 | Preliminary Finalist |
| 2011 | 32,125 | 10th |
1 Following finals matches
Australian Football Hall of Fame players
- Ted Whitten (Legend)
- Charlie Sutton
- Gary Dempsey
- Doug Hawkins
- Allan Hopkins
- Arthur Olliver
- Bernie Quinlan
- Barry Round
- John Schultz
- Norm Ware
Team of the Century
In May 2002, the club announced a team of the greatest players from the last century.Current coaching staff
- Senior Coach: Brendan McCartneyBrendan McCartneyBrendan McCartney is the senior coach of the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League . McCartney was a former Australian rules football player who played in the Geelong Football League...
- Assistant Coaches:
- :* Peter DeanPeter Dean (footballer)Peter Dean is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Blues from 1984 to 1998 as a defender. From South Bendigo, Dean won 2 premierships with Carlton, in 1987 and 1995. After retiring, Dean was also a runner for the Blues.-External links:*...
- Development Coaches:
- Chris Maple
- Peter GermanPeter GermanPeter German is a former Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne in the AFL. He played 185 games with the club, mostly in the midfield....
Officials
- President: David SmorgonDavid SmorgonDavid Smorgon is an Australian businessman. He is most noted for holding the presidency of the Western Bulldogs, an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League...
- Vice-President Ian Veal
- Directors
- George Pappas
- Henry Jolson, QC
- Dr Susan Alberti AO Hon LLD
- Gaye Hamilton
- Barry Hall
- Geoff Walsh
- Chief Executive Officer: Simon GarlickSimon GarlickSimon Garlick is a former Australian rules footballer who played between 1994 and 2004. He spent his first four years of league football with the Sydney Swans before moving Footscray...
- General Manager of Football: James Fantasia
- Recruiting Manager: Simon Dalrymple
Brownlow Medal winners
- Allan HopkinsAllan HopkinsAllan Hopkins was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. He started off his career with Footscray Football Club before they joined the Victorian Football League in 1925...
(1930) - Norman WareNorman WareNorman "Norm" Ware was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .A scrupulously fair, clever and unusually pacy ruckman for Footscray, Ware is the only captain-coach to have won the Brownlow Medal...
(1941) - Peter BoxPeter BoxPeter Box was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League during the 1950s....
(1956) - John SchultzJohn SchultzJohn Schultz is a former Australian rules football player, who played for the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League and is one of the club's greatest players....
(1960) - Gary DempseyGary DempseyGary Dempsey is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League....
(1975) - Kelvin TempletonKelvin TempletonKelvin Templeton is a former Australian rules footballer. At sixteen years of age Templeton kicked 100 goals for Traralgon in the 1973 Latrobe Valley FL season...
(1980) - Brad HardieBrad HardieBradley John "Brad" Hardie is a former Australian rules footballer and current radio commentator. He began his career as an attacking back pocket player, but ended as a dangerous goal kicking forward pocket...
(1985) - Tony LiberatoreTony LiberatoreAnthony "Tony" Liberatore is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Australian Football League ....
(1990) - Scott WyndScott WyndScott Wynd is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League, playing with Footscray.-Footscary/Western Bulldogs :...
(1992) - Adam CooneyAdam CooneyAdam Cooney is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL. Cooney, recruited from West Adelaide in the SANFL, won the 2008 Brownlow Medal with 24 votes becoming the 10th Footscray/Western Bulldog player to win the AFL's highest individual honor.He attended...
(2008)
Chris Grant
Christopher Lee "Chris" Grant is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, and a legend of the Western Bulldogs Football Club...
gained the most votes in 1997 but was not eligible to win the award due to suspension
Leigh Matthews Trophy winners
- Luke DarcyLuke DarcyLuke Darcy is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs who now juggles roles in media and administration.-Early life:...
(2002, with Michael VossMichael VossMichael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions Australian Football League team and a former professional Australian rules footballer....
)
Coleman Medal winners
- Jack CollinsJack C. CollinsJohn Charles "Jack" Collins was a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club ....
(1957) - Kelvin TempletonKelvin TempletonKelvin Templeton is a former Australian rules footballer. At sixteen years of age Templeton kicked 100 goals for Traralgon in the 1973 Latrobe Valley FL season...
(1978, 1979) - Simon BeasleySimon BeasleySimon Beasley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League .Recruited from Swan Districts in the WAFL, Beasley moved to Melbourne in 1982 to pursue his career as a stockbroker, and signed with Footscray in the VFL...
(1985)
Scott West Most Courageous Player Award
This is awarded to the player judged to be the most courageous for the season.- Daniel Cross (2008)
- Dale MorrisDale MorrisDale Morris is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Western Bulldogs.Morris spent four years playing for Werribee Football Club in the Victorian Football League before being added to the Bulldogs' rookie list in the 2004 Rookie Draft...
(2009) - Liam PickenLiam PickenLiam Picken is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League . Picken previously completed a pre-season with Collingwood and two with the Bulldogs, before becoming the Williamstown Seagulls best and fairest player of 2008 in the VFL and earning...
(2010)
Notable players of the past 50 years
- Simon AtkinsSimon AtkinsSimon Atkins was an Australian rules football player who played with Footscray from 1987 to 1994, before joining Fitzroy in its last two seasons as a club in its own right . Atkins and his twin brother Paul were recruited from Wynyard Football Club in Tasmania...
- Simon BeasleySimon BeasleySimon Beasley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League .Recruited from Swan Districts in the WAFL, Beasley moved to Melbourne in 1982 to pursue his career as a stockbroker, and signed with Footscray in the VFL...
- Matthew BoydMatthew BoydMatthew Boyd is an Australian rules football player who has come through the Western Bulldogs' rookie list, debuting in 2003. Prior to that he had played for Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup and Frankston in the VFL...
- Nathan Brown
- Leon CameronLeon CameronLeon Cameron is a former Australian rules footballer, who played in the Australian Football League .Cameron was the 7th selection in the 1988 National Draft for the Footscray Football Club...
- Adam CooneyAdam CooneyAdam Cooney is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL. Cooney, recruited from West Adelaide in the SANFL, won the 2008 Brownlow Medal with 24 votes becoming the 10th Footscray/Western Bulldog player to win the AFL's highest individual honor.He attended...
- Neil CordyNeil CordyNeil Cordy is a former Australian rules footballer and now television presenter.- Football career :Recruited from Traralgon, Victoria, he was the brother of fellow Australian rules footballers Graeme and Brian. His nephew, Ayce, currently plays for the Western Bulldogs after being selected under...
- Matthew CroftMatthew CroftMatthew Croft is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.He had a long career with the Western Bulldogs before retiring in 2004. The balding Croft only received three senior appearances with the team in his final year, much to his dismay, as he was performing...
- Daniel Cross
- Luke DarcyLuke DarcyLuke Darcy is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs who now juggles roles in media and administration.-Early life:...
- Gary DempseyGary DempseyGary Dempsey is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League....
- Paul DimattinaPaul DimattinaPaul Dimattina , the son of former Richmond rover Frank Dimattina, is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League....
- Peter FosterPeter FosterPeter Clarence Foster is an Australian who has been convicted and jailed on three continents for offences involving weight loss products and property transactions....
- Lindsay GilbeeLindsay GilbeeLindsay Gilbee is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League . He was selected by the Bulldogs in the 3rd round of the 1999 National AFL Draft with pick 43 after playing for the Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup.Known as one of the best kicks in...
- Chris GrantChris GrantChristopher Lee "Chris" Grant is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, and a legend of the Western Bulldogs Football Club...
- Ryan GriffenRyan GriffenRyan Griffen is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League. His explosive run-and-carry and long kicking make him one of the most important members of the team....
- Doug HawkinsDoug HawkinsDoug Hawkins is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL who made a name for himself in the media in his post-football career.-Early career:...
- Brad JohnsonBrad Johnson (Australian rules footballer)Brad Johnson is a former Australian rules footballer who was the captain of Australian Football League team Western Bulldogs...
- Rick KennedyRick KennedyRick Kennedy is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the VFL during the 1980s.Kennedy played most of his career as a fullback and captained Footscray from 1986 to 1988. He represented Victoria at a State of Origin game in 1986. A tough and physical player, he was...
- Steven KolyniukSteven KolyniukSteven Kolyniuk is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the AFL.Kolyniuk made his debut for Footscray in 1987 and played with the club for 14 seasons. He managed 177 games before announcing his retirement in 2000. Kolyniuk kicked 198 goals for Footscray with his best...
- Steven KretiukSteven KretiukSteven Kretiuk is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs in the AFL.Kretiuk was a defender and spent over a decade at Footscray, with injuries preventing him from reaching 200 games...
- Brian Lake
- Tony LiberatoreTony LiberatoreAnthony "Tony" Liberatore is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Australian Football League ....
- Stephen MacPhersonStephen MacPhersonStephen MacPherson is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Footscray Bulldogs in the AFL.He became coach of the Greenvale Football Club, affiliated with the Essendon District Football League in 2004, steering them to multiple Finals appearance over his six years at the club...
- Tony McGuinnessTony McGuinnessAnthony "Tony" McGuinness is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray and Adelaide in the Australian Football League. His estranged wife is Nine News presenter Georgina McGuinness.- SANFL career :...
- Dale MorrisDale MorrisDale Morris is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Western Bulldogs.Morris spent four years playing for Werribee Football Club in the Victorian Football League before being added to the Bulldogs' rookie list in the 2004 Rookie Draft...
- Robert MurphyRobert Murphy (Australian rules footballer)Robert "Bob" Murphy is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League. Renowned for his silky skills and leadership qualities, Murphy has also proven himself a versatile player, equally capable of playing in attack or in defence depending on the...
- Jose Romero
- Brian RoyalBrian RoyalBrian Royal is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the Western Bulldogs and is currently an assistant coach for the Melbourne Football Club....
- Rohan SmithRohan SmithRohan H. Smith is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Debuting in 1992 after being recruited around 1990, Smith has long been one of the Bulldogs' favourite sons, with his reputation rising during the mid-1990s when he became one of the best half-backs in the league...
- Daniel SouthernDaniel SouthernDaniel Mark "Danny" Southern is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League ....
- Steven Wallis
- Scott WestScott WestScott West is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League...
- Scott WyndScott WyndScott Wynd is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League, playing with Footscray.-Footscary/Western Bulldogs :...
- Barry HallBarry HallBarry Hall is a former Australian rules footballer. Hall is considered to be one of the best forwards of the modern era, being named All-Australian, leading his club's goalkicking on nine occasions and captaining the Sydney Swans to their 2005 AFL Grand Final victory...
See also
- 2009 Western Bulldogs season
- 2010 Western Bulldogs season2010 Western Bulldogs seasonThe 2010 Western Bulldogs season was the club's 85th since their introduction to the VFL/AFL in 1925. This year the team played 11 home games.-NAB Cup and Premiership Season Results:2010 NAB Cup2010 Home And Away Season...
- 2011 Western Bulldogs season2011 Western Bulldogs seasonThe 2011 Western Bulldogs season is the club's 86th since their introduction to the VFL/AFL in 1925. Matthew Boyd was confirmed to be the captain for the season, and Rodney Eade remains as coach.-NAB Cup:-NAB Challenge:-Home and Away season:...
- List of Western Bulldogs/Footscray players
Footnotes
Bibliography- A History of the Footscray Football Club: Unleashed, by John Lack, Chris McConville, Michael Small and Damien Wright. Aus-Sport Enterprises Pty Ltd, 1996 ISBN 0-646-26215-7
References