Bulldogs legend Doug Hawkins remembers great days of Western Oval, now named Whitten Oval

[Eastdog]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/af...6c01de61dd9e99

Bulldogs legend Doug Hawkins remembers great days of Western Oval, now named Whitten Oval

ELIZA SEWELL, Herald Sun

LONG before Doug Hawkins made the Western Oval his own, he watched the Bulldogs play there as a kid. His cousin, Terry Wilkins, was his hero.

Sometimes Hawkins worked as a lolly boy, selling drinks and treats. Well, he was supposed to be selling them.

“I had one of those little trays and a white coat,” he said. “I used to pay them because I used to sit down and eat all the food and drinks and I’d go back in and they’d say, ‘You owe us $3.50’.”

The 329-game Footscray legend (he played 350 games in all after a final year at Fitzroy) remembers the crowd and watching players including Bernie Quinlan. And even though he was only 10, he recalls the great Ted Whitten’s last game at the ground like it was yesterday.

“I remember Teddy standing there, he looked like he was on a fruit box,” Hawkins said.

“It was wet and they were playing Hawthorn. He was waving to all the crowd. I’ll never ever forget that

“I ran out on the ground with all the crowd and fan to say goodbye to the great E.J.”

The Barkley St ground is, of course, now known as Whitten Oval and Hawkins played his first game there at the age of 17.

Now 56, Hawkins made his debut in 1978 as a 17-year-old against the Kangaroos, the side he first supported. He said home ground advantage was very real back then.

“The crowd were very one-eyed, no different to Windy Hill or Victoria Park or Princes Park,” he said.

“The Footscray people, gee, they were very loud. They were very loyal. They’d give the opposition hell; they loved their own. Win, draw or lose, they stuck by us.

“Back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the Carlton and Richmond powerhouses had trouble beating Footscray at Footscray.

“We had this home ground advantage, a bit of wind, a bit of rain. No one liked coming to our ground. We had this sort of, I reckon, five or six-goal advantage.”

The origin of the iconic “Doug Hawkins Wing” dates to 1984, when Mick Malthouse was coaching from the box on the far side of the Western Oval.

Footscray was playing Fitzroy and Hawkins had a big first quarter on that outer wing.

Malthouse told Hawkins to stay there in the second quarter. Then he had a good second quarter and the message was the same at half-time.

“He said, ‘Listen, you’re saying on this side of the ground’,” Hawkins recalled. “From that Fitzroy game in ’84 I became an outer-wing wingman.

“It’s not only from Footscray. When we played at Windy Hill I played on the outer wing; when I played at Waverley I played on the outer wing; when I played at the MCG I played on the Southern Stand outer wing. I don’t know what that was (the MCG tactic). That doesn’t make much sense.

“But at the Whitten Oval, the wind would blow across the ground, that side was a little bit damp, the game slowed down a little bit and on that first day I had a big day and it was my wing.


Ted Whitten and Doug Hawkins at Western Oval on the eve of Hawkins breaking Whitten's games record of 321 with the Bulldogs.

Doug Hawkins is chaired off after playing his 322nd game.
“You could hear Mick yelling at me, all the instructions. Some weren’t too complimentary, sometimes.

“You could actually hear him. There were times I could feel him looking over me, saying, ‘Hawkins, you’re not going hard enough, you weak prick’.

“To know your coach is looking over you, you couldn’t take a short step. When you made a mistake you knew who was watching you.”

Hawkins played his 300th game at the Bulldogs’ home ground and in 1994 broke Whitten’s club games record of 321 games on the same sacred soil.

“To break E.J.’s record, Mr Football, on that ground — I’ll have memories of that football ground for the rest of my life,” he said.

[Rocket Science]

Not to let the truth get in the way of a good story, but didn't Doug barrack for North as a kid?

[LostDoggy]

Not to let the truth get in the way of a good story, but didn't Doug barrack for North as a kid?

Yep. That is stated in the article.

[Twodogs]

Not to let the truth get in the way of a good story, but didn't Doug barrack for North as a kid?

Yep. That is stated in the article.

Now 56, Hawkins made his debut in 1978 as a 17-year-old against the Kangaroos, the side he first supported


There are a few Hawkins that were prominent players for North in their VFA and early VFL days. I wonder if the Hawk is related to them and that's why he followed North. It's a very strange thing for a kid in Braybrook not to follow The Bulldogs. Especially back then.

Far out. Imagine if Doug Hawkins had of gone to North as a new recruit to the VFL? A perfect replacement for Schimmelbusch at exactly the right time. And straight from the middle of our zone.

[Bulldog4life]

Now 56, Hawkins made his debut in 1978 as a 17-year-old against the Kangaroos, the side he first supported


There are a few Hawkins that were prominent players for North in their VFA and early VFL days. I wonder if the Hawk is related to them and that's why he followed North. It's a very strange thing for a kid in Braybrook not to follow The Bulldogs. Especially back then.

Far out. Imagine if Doug Hawkins had of gone to North as a new recruit to the VFL? A perfect replacement for Schimmelbusch at exactly the right time. And straight from the middle of our zone.

Because of Keith Greig according to Coon Dog's interview with him

http://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthr...h-Doug-Hawkins

[ledge]

Because of Keith Greig according to Coon Dog's interview with him

http://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthr...h-Doug-Hawkins

They were very similar, silky skilled wingman . Can understand it completely.

[craigsahibee]

I watched the '85 1st Semi yesterday, in full,for the first time since I was at the game. Doug was simply brilliant, not just that day, but throughout 1985 and in particular September 1985. I know it's always brought up in conversation when talking about that game, but his pass to Jock Edmond in the 2nd quarter was as good a kick as you are ever likely to see on a footy ground. Jock was surrounded by three North defenders and the kick was so low, fast and direct it hit him on the chest and the North defenders didn't have time to react.

He really was the most naturally skilled Bulldog I have seen. Right foot or left foot. Right handed or left handed. One hand or two hands. Doug was so perfectly balanced and had a fair bit of mongrel in him too. He was able to mix it with the best wingman in an era that gave us Dipper, Rhys-Jones, Flower, Neagle and others.

[Twodogs]

You hit Dougs massive ability when you see all those names and add Greig and Schomma and Turner and Barham. Every team had a good wingman and a few had really great ones. Those great ones could be anything from like Flower-all grace and trickery to Dipper-a bulldozer on legs, and all types of player in between.

But Doug would best them all doing what he did very week. Providing an option for defenders to kick to, running 30 metres and pinging the ball onto a leading forward's chest in between running from contest to contest in the middle of the ground.

Doug was as good an overhead mark as I've seen too. It's a shame that the wing doesn't really exist anymore and we don't get to see those contests between two really good players like Hawkins and Dipper.

[Twodogs]

Who was his opponent in the 1985 final? Greig and Schimmilbusch had retired by then? I remember chops Rickman kicking 7 on Keith Greig in 1984 at Arden st. He must have retired soon after that.

[Ozza]

Who was his opponent in the 1985 final? Greig and Schimmilbusch had retired by then? I remember chops Rickman kicking 7 on Keith Greig in 1984 at Arden st. He must have retired soon after that.

Greig played in the game, but at half back.

From memory of watching the game (not at the time...I was 2....but since on VHS when I was a kid, and more recently DVD) the Hawk played on Demetriou for some of the game, and John Holt also.

[Twodogs]

Greig played in the game, but at half back.

From memory of watching the game (not at the time...I was 2....but since on VHS when I was a kid, and more recently DVD) the Hawk played on Demetriou for some of the game, and John Holt also.

Keith Greig played halfback flank that day at Arden st too.

I remember the big broo haha when Barassi moved Robert Flower to the halfback flank. I say broo haha but what actually happened was Lou Richards made a fuss and Jack Dyer didn't like it and because they did all the in depth analysis it was all over the back page.

[craigsahibee]

Greig played in the game, but at half back.

From memory of watching the game (not at the time...I was 2....but since on VHS when I was a kid, and more recently DVD) the Hawk played on Demetriou for some of the game, and John Holt also.

David Dwyer was moved on to him in the 2nd half. Didn't do much good.

[Ozza]

In that game, Choco Royal had 21 possessions and a lazy 5 goals 3 behinds. What a player he was.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

I watched the '85 1st Semi yesterday, in full,for the first time since I was at the game. Doug was simply brilliant, not just that day, but throughout 1985 and in particular September 1985. I know it's always brought up in conversation when talking about that game, but his pass to Jock Edmond in the 2nd quarter was as good a kick as you are ever likely to see on a footy ground. Jock was surrounded by three North defenders and the kick was so low, fast and direct it hit him on the chest and the North defenders didn't have time to react.

He really was the most naturally skilled Bulldog I have seen. Right foot or left foot. Right handed or left handed. One hand or two hands. Doug was so perfectly balanced and had a fair bit of mongrel in him too. He was able to mix it with the best wingman in an era that gave us Dipper, Rhys-Jones, Flower, Neagle and others.

As one of 4 Club Legends along with Sutton Whitten and Schultz, Hawkins was an absolute champion whom Mike Sheahan rated as the best player in the League in 1986. His 3 finals performances in '85 were a standout enabling him to pip Brownlow Medalist Brad Hardie as our Club's B&F winner. Doug was the product of excellent junior coaching at the Braybrook FC and joined former Club champions from Braybrook in Ted Whitten and George Bisset who were as equally gifted on both sides of the body. Braybrook also produced 4 players in our Team of the Century in Captain Ted Whitten, Vice Captain Doug Hawkins Wally Donald and George Bisset. In addition Braybrook produced 9 Best and Fairest winners at the Bulldogs in Whitten 5,Donald Walker Bisset and Hawkins, 1 each. A very proud record.

[Twodogs]

That's an outstanding output for a junior club. Footscray have been lucky to benefit from the roll out of quality footballers for decades.

Guys like Denis Collins and Robert Gronewegan and even Brian Wilson.