Game Day AFL Week 3 Preliminary Final - GWS Giants V Western Bulldogs

[1eyedog]

This was an unbelievable game - and one I am always going to regret not attending. Living in Perth made getting to the first final easy, and I always go to the first final we play in Melbourne...after all, it is so often the ONLY one we play. I then decided not to go to Sydney (the time of the game made it super difficult with flights and accomodation) and save my pennies for the gf. Very happy to have travelled across again.

Seeing this thread I was wondering how many people out there attended all 4 of our finals wins last year?

I went to all four Mike. Going across to Perth was a massive undertaking in $$$ for me, but as you say it may have been the only final I saw this year. We were directly behind the Hayden Bunton Drv goals and the entire match was just surreal. Each goal we piled on the crowd got quieter. At one stage all I could hear were about 12 Bulldogs fans around us and there were all of about 6 Bulldogs flags waving around the stadium. The reception was icy and I was taunted outside the ground a number of times.

It was the first time I had been to Domain and will probably be the last. It was the third best game I've ever seen us play though...

[bulldogtragic]

I went to the last 2. The pilgrimage of Bulldog supporters up and back the Hume is something I'll never forget. This is my favourite bulldog game ever.

Ditto. It's really hard to split the GF & PF for the best footy experience ever. But I'd agree to say the gws game with the atmosphere we force fed them up there and the pilgrimage up and back made it one heck of a life experience. Not just a footy experience.

In an historical context, the GF was momentous like the fall of Berlin to end the war for good. But the GWS game was the storming the shores of Normanby in a stunning attack to go onto break the back of the war, to allow Berlin to eventually fall, that no one else saw coming. Both were crucial events, but from a tactical/operational/strategic point of view, the storming was a far greater achievement of cunning spirit with dogged determination. That's how I feel about the GWS game, that's not to say the fall of the evil empire's favourite Capital City wasn't awesome though.

[merantau]

I really envy and admire supporters who got to see all our finals especially the wins interstate.

Bulldog Shop should sell an "I WENT TO SPOTLESS" sticker. I reckon they'd move 25,000 of them!

[ratsmac]

I really envy and admire supporters who got to see all our finals especially the wins interstate.

Bulldog Shop should sell an "I WENT TO SPOTLESS" sticker. I reckon they'd move 25,000 of them!

I'd buy one.

[Twodogs]

I'd buy one.

Me too and I didn't even go! But I'd like to wear one to the next GWS game up there.

[Murphy'sLore]

I think there will always be a 'band of brothers' (and sisters) feeling about that journey to Spotless. It was a very special event - and I say that as someone who could only experience it from a hotel room in New Zealand.

I went to two out of four finals - the easy Melbourne ones. Very envious of those who did more.

[aker39]

Seeing this thread I was wondering how many people out there attended all 4 of our finals wins last year?

My brother and sister went to all 4. I went to 3.
I couldn't believe they went to Perth. I gave us no chance and thought they were in for a lot of pain.
Little did I know it was going to be the start of the most marvelous 4 weeks ever.

Anyone that went to all 4 will be telling the story of the 2016 Final Series for many years to come. They can certainly say I WAS THERE when.....

[bulldogtragic]

]I think there will always be a 'band of brothers' (and sisters) feeling about that journey to Spotless[/B]. It was a very special event - and I say that as someone who could only experience it from a hotel room in New Zealand.

I went to two out of four finals - the easy Melbourne ones. Very envious of those who did more.

Sure is. Before we went up to Sydney, the only group or gathering of 10,000 miracle believers who gathered together in Sydney who were noisy, dancing, singing and hugging each other was at the Hillsong Church. And they ain't got anything on us that night. Blessed be the toe poke, and glory be to Bonts. Go in peace dog's children.

[Twodogs]

I think there will always be a 'band of brothers' (and sisters) feeling about that journey to Spotless. It was a very special event - and I say that as someone who could only experience it from a hotel room in New Zealand.

I went to two out of four finals - the easy Melbourne ones. Very envious of those who did more.

I like the Agincourt reference. There's a line in Henry's speech where he says "and gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here" but I like to think that when that siren went that night by some marvellous transcendental force, whether we were in a hotel room in NZ or watching on TV in our lounge room, we were all tea ported to Spotless. And so were all the aunties and uncles and dads and mums and mates and all the others who waited and waited but died before 2016, they were all there too.

Here in West Footscray there was certainly enough euphoria to go around. At one stage I was dancing with my Mexican next door neighbors who'd come outside to see what all the yelling and screaming and carry on was about. He didn't speak English very well and didn't seem to be understanding the explanation (then again perhaps we weren't making a lot of sense at the time) until we just said "football" and smiled. He said "ahhh Football, yes I understand. We get excited about football in Mexico too" After we'd explained a bit more he couldn't believe we'd been waiting since 1961 just to see us make it to a Grand Final. He was starting to think we were certifiable when we told him about 1954!

[Eastdog]

I think there will always be a 'band of brothers' (and sisters) feeling about that journey to Spotless. It was a very special event - and I say that as someone who could only experience it from a hotel room in New Zealand.

I went to two out of four finals - the easy Melbourne ones. Very envious of those who did more.

Watched the interstate finals at home and went to the ones here in Victoria that included the grand final The best month of football ever from us in our history.

[merantau]

September and October 2016 changed me. Our finals campaign liberated me from years of pain and longing. I look to the future with great surety. I know we will be playing finals for years to come. "Everything comes to he who waits."
Bulldog supporters: we have had our loyalty repaid a thousand fold. Outsiders will never experience a finals campaign like ours. They can only imagine but, because they are not US, they will never comprehend and share our joy.

[AndrewP6]

Going into that game I was a bundle of nerves, as we all were. The hatred I have for GWS and everything they represent fuelled me, (especially as I could only get one drink during the game!)... pushing around outside the stadium, seeing the faux fans pull their new scarves out of their bags, I was up for the contest, come what may. the last ten minutes were the most anxious I've had in quite some time, and the feeling on the final siren..... I'm not sure any word I can think of would be apt. Giving it to those loudmouths behind us, who'd taunted us to 'Get on the plane and go home', I'll cherish that feeling forever. Knowing on that siren, we were going to the big dance, again I can't adequately describe it. I spent a small fortune on absurdly high airfares and accomodation to get Mum and I up there, and when Dicko kicked that last behind, the financial cost didn't matter one bit. Incredible.

[dadsgirl16]

Feel privileged to belong to that band of brothers and sisters that went to Spotless...cannot put into words that euphoria I felt when the siren went...simply burst into tears.
It's on in the background as I write this...ahh memories

[Dancin' Douggy]

I think there will always be a 'band of brothers' (and sisters) feeling about that journey to Spotless. It was a very special event - and I say that as someone who could only experience it from a hotel room in New Zealand.

I went to two out of four finals - the easy Melbourne ones. Very envious of those who did more.

Now there's a coincidence. I watched it from a hotel room in NZ too

[Murphy'sLore]

Were you in Wellington? Did you hear us yelling and screaming?