The Western Bulldogs (formerly Footscray) have a rich 100-year history in the VFL/AFL filled with many ups and downs. Their supporters have been through a lot from fighting to keep their club from disappearing in 1989 to ultimate premiership glory in 2016.
The club from the western suburbs will be known as Footscray when they take on Collingwood at the MCG on Friday to commemorate their long-standing place in football's history.
The Bulldogs will don a specially designed guernsey to pay tribute to all those involved in the club's 100 years and will welcome club greats and legends to the ground to celebrate.
But with a history of only two premierships and many stories on either side of that ultimate glory, we thought we'd make a list.
Here is a compilation of the Bulldogs' most memorable, significant and defining games throughout their history...
A game that makes the list almost entirely because of Mark Howard's iconic call of the final siren: "They'll hang on, the Dogs… they are gonna hang on… mark this day down Western Bulldogs fans! Saturday, May the 2nd, 2015!" The game itself was spectacular, but the Bulldogs have had plenty of those. What sets this one apart is Howard's self-fulfilling prophecy, forever tying it to the club's lore. 2015 was Luke Beveridge's first season as head coach and a win like this, on the road, in the bucketing rain, against all odds, proved at the very least to Mark Howard, that something was brewing at Whitten Oval. When the Bulldogs' rise began, that fateful Saturday in May was the day many fans looked back on as the day their beloved pups became dogs.
Referred to as the "Super Flood" game, this titanic clash between the undefeated Bombers and the finals-hopeful Bulldogs in the second-last round of the season proved to be an all-time classic. Essendon had won 20 games in a row and few expected that streak to end against the Dogs. But with a finals berth on the line, Terry Wallace's side implemented an extreme version of what is now common in the AFL. In an era still dominated by one-on-one contests, Wallace instructed his players to flood the backline, leaving no space for Matthew Lloyd or Scott Lucas to move. In front of nearly 46,000 fans at the then-Colonial Stadium, Chris Grant kicked a goal to put the Bulldogs up by five with a minute left, triggering the full effect of the "Super Flood," with just three Bulldogs players in their forward line for the final centre bounce. The tactic worked, snapping Essendon's winning streak and securing the Bulldogs a spot in the finals.
In a match made famous by the now-departed Bailey Smith, Bulldogs fans dared to believe their magical 2016 run could be on again. With the season interrupted and relocated due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Dogs had hit form late in the season and found themselves in a tight semi-final against the Lions at the Gabba. It was going down to the wire, but then in came Bailey Smith. From nearly 50 metres out on his opposite foot, he slotted a goal from the boundary and a legendary Bulldogs moment was born. Smith turned to the crowd and pointed to his forearm, declaring he had "ice in his veins," while the Gabba crowd showered him with boos and middle fingers, in what is now an iconic image. The Bulldogs were on their way to a preliminary final in Adelaide and though their run ended in an eventual Grand Final loss to the Demons in Perth, this win along the way was as good as any before it.
Fresh off a three-peat, the Hawks fancied themselves a chance to achieve what no team had before and win four flags in a row. Things were on track when they took an 11-point lead into half-time, but a young Bulldogs outfit had other plans. In front of 87,000 at the MCG, they stormed home to win by 23 points, marking the moment when the dream started to feel real for Dogs fans. Their future was being shaped before their eyes, none more so than when Marcus Bontempelli outmuscled the ageing Luke Hodge in a one-on-one marking contest inside the forward 50. It felt like a spiritual passing of the torch, just one of many moments that cement this as one of the Bulldogs' greatest games.
Having gone straight through to the Grand Final after a Semi-Final win against Geelong in their premiership-winning season of 1954, Bulldogs fans at the time probably wouldn't have imagined that 1961 would be the only Preliminary Final the club would win for 55 years. But despite that, 1961 remains one of the Dogs' all-time great wins, standing as a milestone achievement for the club, regardless of the result that followed a week later. The Bulldogs defeated Melbourne by 27 points, halting the Demons from reaching what would have been their eighth consecutive Grand Final.
At first glance, it might seem like a meaningless game during the 1997 season, but in the context of being the final AFL/VFL game ever played at Whitten Oval, it becomes a significant moment. The Dogs triumphed by 18 points, sending off their famous home ground in front of 26,000 people. Given what the club and its fans had endured in the years prior, it was nothing short of a miracle that the Bulldogs were still alive, let alone able to play a game to farewell the venue that meant so much to so many. It remains a special moment in the club's history.
Famous among Dogs fans for all the wrong reasons, the controversial 1997 Preliminary Final against Adelaide remains an important yet painful chapter in the club's history. Finishing third on the ladder during the home-and-away season, the Bulldogs were clear favourites to reach the Grand Final. Leading by 22 points at three-quarter time, they looked set to get over the top of the Crows, but a devastating four-goal-to-zero final quarter, including the highly controversial Tony Liberatore behind, saw the Dogs lose yet another Preliminary Final.
In a 12-team VFL competition, the Bulldogs faced Melbourne in the 1954 Grand Final, a momentous occasion that would go down in history as the club's first-ever premiership win. With the help of all-time legends like E.J. Whitten and Charlie Sutton, the Bulldogs were able to cruise past the Demons to secure a 51-point victory. Though it marked the first VFL premiership in the club's history, it was also the beginning of a long drought, unable to secure another flag for decades to come. The 1954 Grand Final remains a significant milestone in the club's history, symbolising the resilience of a team that would go on to become an important part of both the VFL and AFL landscape.
Many would argue that this is the greatest game the Bulldogs have played in their 100-year history and they might very well be right. The match kicked off a fierce but, admittedly, short-lived rivalry between the two sides, born from pure, hard-nosed football. The pace was frantic and it remained tight down to the final moments, culminating in a Tory Dickson shot at goal after the siren. This opportunity came about thanks to a mature decision from Jake Stringer, who chose to pass up his own shot to allow Dickson to run down the clock, a move that epitomised the unselfish spirit that defined the Bulldogs' run.
Up until that point, the Bulldogs had won only one of 10 attempts in the penultimate match of the season, so when the final siren blew, it was an overwhelming flood of emotions for the fans. The relief and joy of securing a spot in the Grand Final was unlike anything many of them had experienced before. This game was more than just a contest, it was a culmination of so many storylines. There was the memorable moment when Luke Beveridge, purchased breakfast for the supporters on the bus ride up to Sydney. Then, there was the emotional moment when Luke Darcy, calling the game as a commentator, heard the siren and realised the Bulldogs had secured their Grand Final berth, a full-circle moment for the former player and a fitting touch to an unforgettable season. This game was a true testament to the heart and character of the Bulldogs, with moments of brilliance, camaraderie and resilience etched into the club's legacy. They came away with a six-point win in the end but the job was not finished at that point.
While the Preliminary Final is almost undeniably the more entertaining of the final two contests in the Bulldogs' famous Cinderella story, if they had fallen short here, the memories wouldn't have been quite so fond. Starting from seventh place, there was an expectation that the Bulldogs would be easy beats in pretty much every match they played during this finals series. However, they were able to overcome that perception and in many ways, that resilience mirrored the struggles the club had endured for so many years.
The contest against the Swans was a hard-fought battle, with the Bulldogs holding a mere eight-point lead at three-quarter time. Dogs fans across the country had their hearts in their mouths, as the tension built towards what seemed like an uncertain conclusion. But what unfolded next was nothing short of pure jubilation for Bulldogs fans, players and staff alike. It was a moment of redemption for a club that had been so deprived of success for decades. As the final siren sounded and the many iconic moments that followed the sense of accomplishment was overwhelming. After years of heartbreak and close calls, the Bulldogs had finally reached the pinnacle of AFL success. No other victory in the club's history comes close to the sheer emotion and glory of that day in 2016. It wasn't just a win, it was the culmination of a journey that had felt like a lifetime in the making.
