Footscray and the Western Bulldogs have a history of lacking key position players, particularly forwards, but this hasn’t always been the case.
In the 1970s there was Bernie Quinlan, Kelvin Templeton and Gary Dempsey – but we leaked them to other clubs. Since then we’ve generally been a bunch of zippy midfielders with no end product. As far as stopgap, late-career solutions go, we’ve tried the ‘Travis Cloke route’ before…
My memory goes back only so far, but you could argue 1992 was the start of Footscray’s modern existence. In the 30 years beforehand we’d made three finals series; in the 25 since we’ve made 13.
Two blokes walked into the club that year: Tony Campbell and Bernard Toohey. Campbell was an ex-Melbourne full back and one of the pioneers of AFL glove-wearing. His career stats were underwhelming, but he was our guy for all 25 matches in 1992. He had a good record against Tony Lockett, of all people.
He was quoted that year as saying something to the effect that it would be a cold day in hell when he played for Footscray and something about the administration not being up to scratch. He later admitted this showed how wrong a person can be.
I remember not liking Bernard Toohey very much as a Swan. He had a very good career as a hustling defensive midfielder in the 1980s, and in 1992 he ended up with us. Both Toohey and Campbell gave us two solid years – or a great 1992 in any case.
Richard Osbourne arrived in 1994. A champion at Fitzroy, what obviously stood out in his career with Footscray was his last-minute goal to give us a glorious win in the 1994 qualifying final against Geelong. Almost. Though I may have mentally edited the last 26 seconds of that match, what is for certain is that Osbourne gave us 100 goals in two and a half years.
Late 1995 were sunny days for the club when Osbourne dobbed 53, and we laughed at him grabbing a kiss from his wife on the sidelines after one of them. He later featured in the Year of the Dogs documentary dissatisfied with coach Alan Joyce. He was around from 1994 until 1996 before continuing his journey with Collingwood for a further two seasons to complete a 17-year career.
Nicky Winmar arrived at the Bulldogs in 1999 to play the final year of his career. I remember him as being quite decent, and the 33-year-old played as an auxiliary forward, scoring 34 goals. It was a breezy season in which a well-honed Bulldogs team won game after game. There were unfortunate off-field dramas, particularly The Footy Show’s blackface scandal, which didn’t help Winmar personally, but I was happy to have him on board and disappointed he didn’t continue.
I could probably type out a book on Jason Akermanis – he certainly has – but despite the eventual unravelling, I’m sympathetic to him. He arrived in 2007, scored 49 and 43 goals in 2008 and 2009 and was sacked by the club in 2010.
He was too much of a maverick to be a leader, but I can’t help but wonder whether we didn’t mine his premiership-winning experience well enough in the same way Australia tapped into Shane Warne’s understanding of the game in his later career.
His individuality didn’t sit well with Bulldogs groupthink, so he toned it down, possibly a bit too much. Perhaps flashy individualism – in the mould of, say, Nick Davis or Cyril Rioli – though not a part of classic Bulldog culture, was the thing we lacked in the 2009 finals loss. What was so wrong with the handstand?
In a 2012 interview with Mike Sheahan, Akermanis said he had more good times than bad. He commended Daniel Giansiracusa’s on his straightforwardness, but he sadly felt that current icon Bob Murphy was one player he couldn’t see eye-to-eye with.
As late as in 2009 I was saying Akermanis was the best thing to happen to the AFL, but my opinion was swiftly reversed a year later – he carried on a bit too much about our club in the aftermath, though I found it interesting he said that if conditions were perfect, the Bulldogs thought they could win a premiership. He added that he knew from his time at Brisbane that they didn’t have to be perfect – things could go wrong and they could still win.
On the other hand I’m sure the Bulldogs side of the story would be revealing – he was sacked from Brisbane too, after all.
Barry Hall was an unmitigated success with 135 goals in 39 games. A lot of love flowed his way – including from Julia Gillard. It made me think the Bulldogs top brass was pretty competent. Twice in four years we identified our man and got him. It was intriguing to briefly have Akermanis and Hall on the same team. At least we got a night flag over St Kilda out of it. It’s a meaningless prize, but we’d won something.
Now for Travis Cloke. He’ll kick bags of 82, 78, 114 and 92 as the Bulldogs win four premierships in a row. In the 2020 preliminary final the smug, hated Bulldogs, with evergreen Sam Mitchell on board, ruthlessly dispose of sentimental favourites Hawthorn, who have bounced back from the O’Meara incident and three wooden spoons.
A 20-metre, zero-angle set shot after the siren gives the Bullies a chance at victory in the 2020 grand final against the Tassie Tigers for an iconic fifth successive flag – but Cloke puts it out on the full.
Tom
Roar Rookie
Don't forget Kingsley Hunter...
mattyb
Guest
Cat,I'm sure the doggies will. Like I have said though we need to remember all the benefits the VFL clubs receive and not forget they would all be non existent entities if not for the AFL and the advantages they all receive playing in a competition that is still very much Victorian centric. The dogs are certainly a remarkable club that has now achieved the greatest premiership in the AFL era,a true fairytale not just with the unprecedented finals campaign but the entire backs to the wall season. We are certainly seeing the landscapes change with old VFL clubs Richmond,Melbourne and Carlton now insignificant and even Collingwood on that path,Geelong still a so called rural club in an ever expanding national league. The Dogs future now looks far healthier long term than a few of the other VFL clubs. The numbers that turned up to the Western Oval to mark the dogs unprecedented success this year were truly remarkable and as the current list is now the envy of other VFL clubs soon enough the club as a whole will be to. Of course there will still be angry people but there always will be. The dogs are now well placed to achieve sustained success and wealth with a blueprint for the future. Again also,I think all the VFL clubs have 'leeched' off the expanded league,firstly with its licence fees and now it's tv money etc.,to single out one club is rather short sighted to the extreme and an example of how history can be rewritten to fit different agendas.
Cat
Roar Guru
I didn't say 'any club'. Do not put words in my mouth. I said the Dogs should be cut off from future handouts. They now have marquee games, the AFL owns Etihad and will be doing better deals, they have their *premiership. No more excuses to continue to rely on other clubs funding them. Time for the Dogs to start contributing to equalisation instead of leeching from it.
mattyb
Guest
Cat,I'm not pushing for anything,I'm just pointing out that if your so against the Dogs or any club receiving financial equalization assistance we need to also look at different kinds of assistance. Geelong clearly receive the most assistance out of the Victorian clubs by being allowed to play at their own suburban ground that is so close to the city and its hardly a rural town. Good luck to them,in a ladder of assistance someone has to be at the top. Assistance,benefits,advantages work in many different ways and in some ways there's not much we can do,but they are there. And why is it so surprising I havnt made a peep,you just seem to be over dramatising the peep you feel I should be making.. Again,I'm not overly fussed by the huge benefit Geelong receive and how different teams receive different benefits in different ways,just pointing one out.
Cat
Roar Guru
It's no closer or further than Spotless to SCG or Metricon to the Gabba. It's such a 'huge' advantage that 8 other teams have a bigger advantage of being allowed to play at their exclusive to near exclusive home grounds 11 times a year compared to Geelong's 7. Not to mention 17 clubs have contributed a grand total on $0.00 towards the stadiums they play in, while Geelong has contributed somewhere north of $20,000,000 in the last decade alone. Metricon to Gabba = 50 minute drive Spotless to SCG = 28 minutes Kardinia Park to Etihad = 56 minutes Kardinia Park to MCG = 63 minutes If you honestly think Geelong should be forced to play in Melbourne, then your own push for equality should be pushing for the Queensland teams to share a single stadium and for the Sydney teams to share one as well, yet unsurprisingly you have never said one peep on those.
mattyb
Guest
Stop making out Geelong is a long way from Melbourne,it would be lucky to be an hour away. You could easily live in the Melbourne CBD and still play for Geelong,thousands of people commute for work from Geelong to the CBD on a daily basis. All the Victorian clubs have a huge advantage but Geelong the greatest advantage of all. All's well but it can't be overlooked when grumpily throwing stones at clubs about different things.
Cat
Roar Guru
Geelong is the only regional Victoria side. Full stop. Of course they play elsewhere. They are not located in Melbourne. Why should a Geelong club be forced to play out of Melbourne? Do all the Sydney teams play at the same ground? No. Do all the Queensland teams share a ground? No. Melbourne teams share ground(s) because they are all in the same CBD. Geelong is not a part of Melbourne. Stop trying to make out like there is no difference.
mattyb
Guest
Cat,I think the imbalance with the fixturing and the fact the Victorian clubs don't operate on a level playing field is a big factor in monetary distribution. More marquee games and a better stadium deal will help the dogs as much as anything. If the AFL put the Victorian clubs on a level playing field Geelong would struggle as much as anyone being the only Victorian club being allowed to operate out of their suburban ground. Take this advantage away and they to would find themselves in extreme hardship and a debt they would struggle to repay.
Cat
Roar Guru
Now you can stop relying on the AFL to prop you up ... finally. I'm sure the ambulance chaser in charge will still be putting his hand out though.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
For dogs fans still dining out one month on - The Age had an article yesterday about our well we are going commercially. Needless to say, the club would have had record merchandise sales the past couple of months. http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-grand-final-2016-for-bulldogs-flag-is-just-the-beginning-20161002-grtahy.html The club is poised to make a big profit this year after lifting revenue to $46 million from $28 million four years ago. "I would be very surprised if there was another club in the AFL that has enjoyed that sort of growth in that time," Gordon said. "We were heading for a very, very healthy result before week one of the finals." The Dogs have made more money from merchandising than previously thought possible, have halved their debt to $6 million in just four years and will be clear of debt by 2020.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Yeh, I look at it the same way, we got a bit puritanical about it all, forgetting that there are some blokes who sometimes, you just gotta let them do their own thing, especially when they are delivering the goods.
mattyb
Guest
Galaxy is a good one MF,I used to love him,wonderful mark,so so kick but a great player. I also enjoyed Aker and thought he was let down a little by the club and his teammates. Normally I'd not really say that but I always thought we knew what we were getting and he was turned on in some regards and not letting him do his handstands was pretty petty,even if they're not my thing. He certainly played some great football for us,a super player.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
A fun trip down memory lane. Another one who was a massive boost in the KPF area was Glenn "Galaxy" Coleman. Aker was a different cat again, and personally, I thought he was terrific. What l loved most about Aker was his ability to split the sticks, from near the boundary, just inside 50, on the run or as a set shot - he did it a lot. I remember one game against Port, where we've come from behind to win. Late in the final quarter, Aker gets the handball from the centre bounce, runs inside 50, puts the dogs ahead. Very next ball up, identical move! Aker runs to the identical spot, goes bang, and that's the sealer. My enduring memory is of the Port ruck man, I think it's Brogan, and he can see what is about to unfold as clear as day, before Aker even takes the handball, he slumps down, hands on his knees, and you know he's thinking: not him again! (with a few expletives probably thrown in)
Pete
Guest
Also played centre half forward and kicked 293 goals during his career. Only mentioned him because the article included Dempsey.
Marty Gleason
Roar Guru
For the record, "Love affair" is a stupid title. Submitted title was "flirtation", as in you try your luck a little bit with some of these players.
Marty Gleason
Roar Guru
Yeah but Cook wasn't that old.
mattyb
Guest
James Cook
kevin
Guest
Rawlings
Marty Gleason
Roar Guru
True but was he a key position player? Not sure, thought he was more a follower.
Pete
Guest
Barry Round was another one they let go in the 70s...