Best & Worst Bulldog Moments

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Over the years - in some posters cases, many many years - that we've been passionate members of this football club, we've seen and enjoyed plenty of moments. Perhaps it's been the signing of a star player, or maybe a touch of brillance from a young Chris Grant back in the day. Whatever the case, we all have a few single moments that stick out in our mind as ones that we'll never forget. It could be anything; a moment you had speaking to a player, a piece of play during a game, a speech delivered by a coach/board member etc. Conversely, we've also endured plenty of bad moments whilst following Footscray/The Western Bulldogs. Perhaps it was the day Rohde signed, or the day of 1997 in September?

Due to our varying age differences and opinions, it should be expected to see a range of moments rather than just the one or two. Of course the announcement of a possible merger, the loss of the 97 Prelim & so fourth are the obvious choices but I'd like to hear a few different ones.

Try and be a little sepcific to just one particular moment.

For mine, one of the best moments I've experienced as a member of The Dogs came in Round 21, 2005 against Melbourne on a Saturday Night @ the MCG. We had been in red hot form leading into the match whilst Melbourne were a little shakey. Still - it was always going to be a tough match as a Finals birth was clearly on the line. The loser would be left with little to no hope of making the Finals campaign. The match itself was pretty exciting and had a good atmosphere, from the first bounce both teams never really pulled away from each other. It was a fairly close game, and about halfway through the last quarter I thought I'd seen a Finals Birth when Cooney gathered the ball from a stoppage, ran the lines and kicked the ball into open territory. Johnson managed to meet the ball, turn slightly whilst running and kick an absolute ripsnorter 40m snap to give us breathing space. The crowd went wild and the players appeared to be pumping. After years of disappointment, the end of 2005 gave me new found excitement within. At this exact moment I couldn't of been happier, I was incredibly pumped up - as was my father.

Coincidently, one of the worst moments for me was that last ten minutes of the Dogs & Dees game at the 'G. It looked impossible for us to lose; we had the momentum and we had some breathing space. Somehow, someway we managed to lose that game in the dying seconds. It was heartbreak; it felt like 'fate' kicked in and our old, disappointing ways smacked us all back in the face. It was like a 'tease'; we had played brillant football for five or six weeks and lost a season in ten minutes. The way it happened was dramatic though. After thinking you have the game won, after being incredibly pumped, Melbourne are all but a few points down with a boundary throw in only 45-50m from their goal again. Every single supporter is on the edge of their seat, DEEP into the last quarter as the whistle blows against Skipper. A free kick is rewarded to White, who calmly goes back from 45-50m on a bit of an angle and kicks it directly through the goals - DIRECTLY over my head. The Melbourne supporters are jumping up and down like maniacs as the siren sounds & the players & Daniher rejoyce in a remarkable victory for them. Meanwhile, I'm sitting with my hands in my head asking myself how we manage to lose a game we had firm control of with only ten minutes to go.

Obviously there are several other fantastic & bitter moments that I have, some arguably more significant, but I wanted to be a little from left field rather than what the obvious & well known 97/98 saga, or the Rohde era.

Anyhow with all that in mind, what's your best & worst Bulldog moments?

[The Coon Dog]

Best:

I'll never ever forget being at the Whitten Oval the day of the Fightback Rally. I went there fully expecting it to be like a funeral wake.

Hang on, I thought as I neared the ground, there's cars everywhere. Maybe we might get a half decent turnout afterall.

The scenes as you neared the ground were akin to a feeling of a defiant group of people who had taken just one knock too much. They had had enough & were going to fightback with every last bit of strength left in their bodies. God help whoever got in their way.

My wife & I took our usual seats in the EJ Whitten Stand & listened to impassioned speech after impassioned speech. Each urging us to do what we must to preserve OUR football club.

There was a guy in an old South Melbourne jumper who said in a very passionate & heartfelt speech about the move to Sydney of his beloved Bloods earlier that decade, "They say time heals all wounds, it doesn't, it just makes them worse!" as the tears streamed down his face.

Peter Welsh & Laurie Sandilands both poured out what this football club meant to them. Laurie Sandilands proudly wearing his 'Life member' badge. "I don't want to be a Life Member' of nothing," he said.

Who could ever forget the most inspirational speech I have ever heard of in my life that was made that day by Peter Gordon? Just thinking about it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end!

He initially spoke about some of "the great moment that had been played out on the very ground he was standing on, Brian Royal's left foot goal from the centre against Essendon in 1985, Gubby Allen kicking across goal, only for Simon Beasley to mark it, & spots that Ricky Kennedy dished out his very own brand of Bulldog justice, which were, here & here, & over there, & there, infact there weren't too many places Rick didn't dispense summary justice."

Then he spoke about how "as a child his bedroom was bedecked in posters of his Bulldog heroes & how the same now applies with his 3 sons & their bedrooms."

He then got to the crux of the matter saying that "if we hurt today with the VFL's decision, then that will nothing compared to the hurt we'll feel in a few short weeks when the 1990 VFL draw is released. Think of how bad you'll hurt next year when the season approaches & there's no Footscray! I want you to give until it hurts as much as that, because that's the ONLY way we can defeat these people!"

Then, a masterstroke, he introduced the 1990 Footscray Football Club coach, Mr. Terry Wheeler. Terry then spoke about his passion for the club, how "it's not our game to play with, it's something we should preserve for our children!"

Irene Chatfield who was the public face of the fightback was there, resplendant in her scarf with its accompanying badges.

There were volunteers who collected cash as Peter Gordon's rallying cry had decreed we do. It was unbelievable, people were opening their wallets & purses, throwing in whatever cash was in there, pensioners, children, you name it. I have never seen as much money in cash notes as I saw that day. There were many instances of people heading down Barkly Street, only to return shortly, having cleaned out all the ATM's locally.

I left that day, feeling better than any win I had previously or subsequently experienced.
To the younger generation reading this who can't remember or were just too young, pop down to your local library & get a book called TOO TOUGH TO DIE written by Alan Dalton & Kerrie Gordon.

Let this serve as a reminder to never, ever take for granted that we're safe. Buy a membership EVERY year, regardless of onfield performance & encourage others to do so.

WORST

Let's forget the obvious, others will no doubt cover that.

Like that fateful day, this also occured during the penultimate week of the season. 1985, to be precise. We fronted up to Hawthorn that day, knowing that a win would get us into our first Grand Final since 1961. All we had to do was overcome a team that had shellacked us a fortnight earlier to the tune of 14 goals or thereabouts.

We had defeated North Mebourne a week earlier, tho at a cost as Mark Kellett & Michael Ford both sustained injuries that kept them out of the Preliminary Final.

Early on I recall Ricky Kennedy getting confused, thinking he was at Torquay, not VFL Park as he attempted to surf on Jason Dunstall's back!

Half way through the final term we looked to be holding Hawthorn in a dour struggle, until Leigh Matthews returned to the fray & went to the forward pocket. His opponent was Brad Hardie, who unfortunately (hindsight is a wonderful thing) decided to give him a degree of latitude that ultimately proved decisive as Matthew kicked 2 late goals to give the Hawks a 10 point victory.

I was not alone as I cried on my way out of the ground!

The following week Hawthorn got belted by the Bombers in the Grand Final. I knew in my own heart that we were the only team that could have beaten them. Alas, it was never to be.

[Dry Rot]

Obviously it's a personal thing, depends upon age etc

As a Dogs fan since '98 living in Sydney, the best was sitting with the Swans members at the SCG in '99, 45 odd points down at quarter time and then getting up and beating the pricks by 4 goals. (honourable mentions to watching the 2000 wins v Carlton and the Bombers on TV).

For my worst it's hard to go past watching Grant do his knee (Rd 1, 2003 IIRC)

[LostDoggy]

I was to young to remember the 1989 fight back rally but have heard it was spine tingling. Thanks for the retelling Coon Dog, i enjoyed the read.

[The Coon Dog]

I was to young to remember the 1989 fight back rally but have heard it was spine tingling. Thanks for the retelling Coon Dog, i enjoyed the read.

Here's some ripper stuff to read by alwaysadog.

http://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?t=368

http://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?t=507

[westdog54]

Best moment: Watching us beat Essendon in 2000. I was off work that night with the flu, and the whole family was gathered around the TV watching the game.

I remember Grant racking up midfielders stats playing loose in defence Michael Long played his best game for 5 years, setting up plenty of Essendon Goals in the first half. We held a narrow lead at quarter time, and Essendon couldn't pierce 'the flood'. Except perhaps Dustin Fletcher, who had a good game up forward.

Libba ran down Scott Lucas not once, but twice in the second quarter, the second time directly resulting in a goal to Brad Johnson.

On the stroke of half-time, John Barnes flattened Johnson a good 15 metres off the ball, sparking an all in brawl that had Gary Moorcroft charging off the bench to have a swing at Libba. As the players ran off there was a dogs fan in a suit firing up the boys as they went down the tunnel, only to cop a spray of water from the trainer.

Gary Moorcroft started the 3rd quarter up forward and his first possession went out on the full, prompting Steve Kretiuk to turn around and give him the mother of all bakes.

We looked dead and buried at 3 quarter time. Enter C. Grant. He moves forward and kicks the first goal of the last to start the run. Then, with a minute and a half left, a stray Fletcher boot put the ball out of bounds in the forward pocket. The nearest player to the ball is, guess who. Chris Grant. He calmly runs around on the left foot and slots the goal of the night to put us in front.

One last Essendon charge is repelled and Rohan Smith marks on the siren, kicking a goal through an unguarded goalsquare as wild celebrations begin on the field and in the Westdog house. My dad jumped up and pumped his fist in delight, my brother and I hugged and my mum looked like she was about to cry. Great night, never get sick of watching the video.

Worst moment: The siren sounding in the 97 prelim. Then a 14 year old, I flung my earpiece out of my ear in disgust, and then as I saw the Adelaide supporters standing and cheering, the cold harsh reality of what had just happened hit me like a runaway Kenworth.

I didn't speak for the next 4 hours. I got out of the car after the eerily silent drive home, walked straight past my mum who asked if I was ok, walked into my room, crashed on my bed and burst into tears. My younger brother, who was at home, hadn't waited that long, he started crying as soon as the siren rang. Mum called my auntie (my uncle was at the game with us) and told her to get over there and bring a bottle of scotch, they're were going to need it.

When I next went to school, I didn't get the insults and ribbing that usually came with being a Bulldogs supporter growing up, rather it was sympathy and well-wishing, as friends recalled hoping and wishing that we'd hang on, that it just wasn't fair.

Damn right it wasn't.

[hujsh]

Best moment
Western vs Adelaide at the G 06. Lat two times our teams met we had been smashed but i decided to be brave and go to the match with a crows supporter . Cooney and West had both been good but at the midpoint of the third quarter we were 6 goals down and i was worried that we might blow our good start to the year and not make the finals. Then we began to charge. We took the lead but the Crows kicked a couple of goals to keep it close. It was a tug of war. If my memory is correct a Jordan McMahon goal from outside 50 that landed in the square and bounced through gave us a small lead and then Rhett Biglands kicked a goal to reduce the lead to a point. We got the ball in the forward pocket and I prayed for the siren. Then Adam COOOOOONey kicked the clincher just before the siren to end with 5 goals and 33 possessions, while Wessty had another bag of 40 possies. Eade would proclaim it as the best game he had been involveed with at the club.
Worst moment
2003. nuff said

[Scorlibo]

The Essendon game in 2000 was brilliant, I know many Essendon supporters who quite rightfully had a touch of arrogance about them that year, but not that week, that week I had immortality as a dogs supporter, and my friends were amazingly, and unusually, quiet when the conversation turned to football.

Among the other highlights was the game against North in '04 where we won by a point thanks to a fantastic, scrambling Johnno goal in the last minutes. Earlier in the game we were 40 odd points down.

My worst moment may well have been the 2006 semi final v West Coast. Not just because we lost by an embarrassing amount and were therefore knocked out of the competition, but also because it was bubba and westy's 300th game, and for bubba, potentially his last. For a bulldog outfit that prides itself on passion and heart for each other, they didn't show a lot that night. Rohan Smith, the player I had grown up heavily idolising, was chaired off the field with tears flooding down his face because his last memory of AFL football was one spent in front of a largely West Coast croud, cheering for a ridiculously bad Bulldog loss. It is a game for which I will never forgive the bulldog players who took to the field - because that champion's send off was neither decent or dignified.

[Go_Dogs]

I was to young to remember the 1989 fight back rally but have heard it was spine tingling. Thanks for the retelling Coon Dog, i enjoyed the read.

I was a bit too young then to know much about it either. Great little piece there TCD, enjoyed reading that very much.

I'm not sure I can name one specific moment as the absolute best, perhaps in a another few years I might be able to.
Certainly a few more recent H&A wins, such as the big win against WC in 2005 as we were streaking towards, and eventually narrowly missed out on, the finals that year. That was a great game, I remember watching it on the TV and just being very confident before the first bounce, and we came out and play exceptional football.
The game against the Crows in 2006 was similar, and very sweet too. I watched it with my dad, a long time Crows supporter. Cooney, someone who I have liked since his arrival, played his best game for the club, and it was just a great day.

The worst moments for me are obviously the 1997/1998 Prelim Final losses to the Crows. Living in Adelaide, having to watch all their excitement as they went back to back at our expense was horrible.

[LostDoggy]

Best moments:
Essendon 2000 Round 21- Speaks for itself really. I unfortunately didn't get to go as we didn't go to away games in those days, and as our bumper sticker had come off the car we asked my nana and grandad to buy us one at the game (Essendon supporters, tried to convert me, didn't work)...my nana's convinced that's the reason they lost, and because we hadn't thought to tape it (talk about having faith in the team, oops) they gave us their copy...I still have it, it's getting a bit dodgy though.

Adelaide 2006 at the G- Jordy being the one who kicked that goal has so ruined it though. I never heard the siren and could barely hear the song so it was all a bit weird. The lady behind me (Crows fan) made it all the better too, if she squealed 'pick it up' or 'go Biggy' one more time...argh.

Worst:
Round 21 2005- So many tears! Have hated Jeff White from that day on, again am lucky I didn't go to the match as I would have looked stupid (more stupid) bawling my eyes out at the game.

The entire 2003-2004- Only went to one winning game, Crofty and Garlick's last game and it's safe to say I am quick to forget those years. Needless to say I now don't miss as many games...none in Melbourne anyway.

[Dogs 24/7]

I might reply to this in more detail later but the 97 season was once on the best and worst moments of my time as a Bulldog supporter. We played some scintillating football only to be beaten in the preliminary final
I also cant go past the end on end thrashings that were handed out to us this season as the worst I can remember. We had the players to make a big impression on the finals but lost our way. Im still smarting about that.

[Mofra]

There was a guy in an old South Melbourne jumper who said in a very passionate & heartfelt speech about the move to Sydney of his beloved Bloods earlier that decade, "They say time heals all wounds, it doesn't, it just makes them worse!" as the tears streamed down his face.

I will never forget that bloke. I remember the crowd going nuts as he screamed something to the order of "they did it to us... don't them them do it to you!"

Best
Hard to split the Collingwood Prelim on 06 when Bubbha kicked the goal in the 4th shortly after the "Bubbha... Bubbha" chant had gone up. That moment of pure joy when he simultaneously sealed the win & ensured he get his game 300. He could celebrate a goal like no other, and this time.... well!

Jumping up & down and hugging/high-fiving complete strangers when we beat Geelong by a point at the start of 06 was great as well, simply because we won such an entertaining game. That day contained everything that is good about football.

Worst
Without a doubt the 97 prelim, watching the last quarter in Canberra surrounded by Adelaide fans. I remember one smart arse trying to rib me about loser Victorians, and all I did was shoot him a death stare and said "congratulations, you're entire state just beat one of our suburbs" and stormed off, leaving him to stutter some whiny cr@p about a "National draft"

I felt totally betrayed by the experience (and, mostly, at the actions of a near sighted goal umpire). Ian Collins being revealed to single handedly stopping one C.Grant from taking his rightful Brownlow home didn't exactly cap off a great September 97.

[LostDoggy]

I will never forget that bloke. I remember the crowd going nuts as he screamed something to the order of "they did it to us... don't them them do it to you!"

Best
Hard to split the Collingwood Prelim on 06 when Bubbha kicked the goal in the 4th shortly after the "Bubbha... Bubbha" chant had gone up. That moment of pure joy when he simultaneously sealed the win & ensured he get his game 300. He could celebrate a goal like no other, and this time.... well!

Jumping up & down and hugging/high-fiving complete strangers when we beat Geelong by a point at the start of 06 was great as well, simply because we won such an entertaining game. That day contained everything that is good about football.

Worst
Without a doubt the 97 prelim, watching the last quarter in Canberra surrounded by Adelaide fans. I remember one smart arse trying to rib me about loser Victorians, and all I did was shoot him a death stare and said "congratulations, you're entire state just beat one of our suburbs" and stormed off, leaving him to stutter some whiny cr@p about a "National draft"

I felt totally betrayed by the experience (and, mostly, at the actions of a near sighted goal umpire). Ian Collins being revealed to single handedly stopping one C.Grant from taking his rightful Brownlow home didn't exactly cap off a great September 97.

It was pretty crude. If you want to blame someone for costing Grant the Brownlow what about Kretuik?

[Mantis]

Worst
Without a doubt the 97 prelim, watching the last quarter in Canberra surrounded by Adelaide fans. I remember one smart arse trying to rib me about loser Victorians, and all I did was shoot him a death stare and said "congratulations, you're entire state just beat one of our suburbs" and stormed off, leaving him to stutter some whiny cr@p about a "National draft"

I felt totally betrayed by the experience (and, mostly, at the actions of a near sighted goal umpire). Ian Collins being revealed to single handedly stopping one C.Grant from taking his rightful Brownlow home didn't exactly cap off a great September 97.

Yeah just about the worst for me too.

Pretty early in the vote count I knew Granty was going to win. He had just polled 3 votes in a game he wasn't expected to and I could see how it was going to unfold. Life's a bitch sometimes.

[Mofra]

[/B]


It was pretty crude. If you want to blame someone for costing Grant the Brownlow what about Kretuik?

If three field umpires state an incident doesn't warrant investigation, that is generally enough for me. Ian Collins is still a pr!ck IMO, before you take the TD arrangements into account.