Great summation. 21 doesn’t happen without 16.
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Yep, the difference is the storyline and the absolute heartache and torture that came before it.
From a sheer footballing perspective, the 2021 PF is actually more impressive - the last 3 weeks of the year, the quarantining/restriction of access to gyms, socialising, food etc, the injuries to Bruce/Keath/Weightman....
... but 2016 was the moment we never thought would happen.
2016 for me.
It was the greatest game ever played, the most exciting thing I've ever witnessed, and for me the highlight of 2016 (in a year where we won the premiership and got married).
Everything about it. The pilgrimage to Western Sydney to 'take over', and feeling like I was in the west of Melbourne by the amount of people I knew that I ran into at the game. And the extraordinary relief and ecstasy of making one at last.
We will never be able to appreciate making a Grand Final as much as we did that year. It will never be as big a deal ever again.
I think the way we won in 2016 was defining too. We were 14 points down early in the last with our opponent having all the momentum on their own patch and it looked like we would fail at that stage again, but we looked them straight in the eyes and said not this time.... we wrote a new page in our history and it was amazing.
The 2021 version was our team at it's clinical best.. it was an utterly brilliant performance, maybe the best the team has ever performed in such an important game since the '54 GF, but 2016 is still the moment it all changed for me.
The 2021 team is a lot more talented than 2016 also. My expectation is that this team would get to Prelim weekend as 'par' and hoping to shoot for more.
Would absolutely love to win it this year. But my expectation is that this team is right at the pointy end for the next 5 years and create multiple chances to win one (and finally finish top 4/top 2). The talent levels have never been seen on a Bulldogs list in our history.
Funnily enough, both finals series have plenty of parallels but the order is just different.
Our EF this year was like the semi in 2016. Average start, pulled away late.
Our semi this year was like the prelim in 2016. Interstate, odds stacked against us, thriller.
Our prelim this year was like the EF in 2016. Interstate, outrageous underdog, completely ambushed them.
That just leaves the GF. Team from outside the top 4 playing the minor premiers...
Ambush is the right word to describe Saturday night. We absolutely ambushed Port.
The GF will be different - we won't be able to catch Melbourne napping or off their game - its going to be a game of inches, strategy, concentration and who can execute what they want to do best.
I'm not sure 2021 was possible without 2016. The 7 losses in a row absolutely weighed on the club and suppoters. Whilst the players weren't really involved in the 7 losses there was a sense of dread all around the Bulldogs and they must have felt it.
It all comes down to what you consider best.
If you're looking at it from a historical significance perspective, quality of match or emotional impact, then naturally 2016 wins out.
2021 was something different altogether. This was a demolition job against a high quality opponent, away from home, with obstacle after obstacle stacked in front of us.
2021 saw a massive statement made, not just to Melbourne, but to the rest of the competition. That rounds 21-23 were an aberration, that we are united as a playing group, that we can not just win in the face of adversity but tear them to shreds, and God help you if you're in our path, because we're coming for you.
As big as 2016 was, there was something immensely satisfying about Saturday night.
2016 was magic. There was a moment at the end of the broadcast where the Dogs were all celebrating and the crowd noise was immense and the camera started to shake a bit and I like to believe it was just pure emotion making it shake. Perfect counterpoint to Dickon's tiny grin during his runup as the siren sounded. 2021 was magnificent but it can't compare to that raw feeling.
For me - 2016 by the length of the Flemington straight. The way that Bulldogs supporters effectively took over enemy territory was just incredible, and then the boys delivered in an absolute cracking game. It was such a special day and I still pinch myself (especially in covid non-travelling times) that I was lucky enough to be there.
This latest PF win was pretty bloody magnificent though, how nice is to have prelim wins to compare these days?? :D