Bulldogs By the Numbers

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

2013 saw the debut of our current #11 Jack Macrae. And what a player he is! Tremendously brave, totally committed and runs all day and is a vital cog in our midfield. His pressure goal v GWS is part of Bulldogs folklore.
Jacko is an absolute ball magnet - the youngest ever to accumulate 40 possession in a game. Twice All Australian, consistently high in the Brownlow, knocking on the door for B&F honours, I am 100% sure he will be a one club player. One thing the surprised me: according to Wikipedia he is 6'3"!! Has now played 159 games.

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Alex Gardiner played in #12 from '55 to '62 and racked up 92 games. He had lots of pace and was called "Racehorse". He played on the wing and was part of our centreline in the '61 GF side alongside Bob Spargo and Ian Bryant.
Alex left in '63 to become captain coach of Box Hill in the VFA - a role he played for 5 years.

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Colin Dell first appeared in '71 wearing #48 then switched to #12 for the next six seasons. He played 66 games as a defender. Was captain of the Reserves for a few seasons. Went to Brunswick for 2 years and ended up playing in the FDFL.

[GVGjr]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Colin Dell first appeared in '71 wearing #48 then switched to #12 for the next six seasons. He played 66 games as a defender. Was captain of the Reserves for a few seasons. Went to Brunswick for 2 years and ended up playing in the FDFL.

Was Dell's nickname "Ding Dong"?

[Bulldog4life]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Alex Gardiner played in #12 from '55 to '62 and racked up 92 games. He had lots of pace and was called "Racehorse". He played on the wing and was part of our centreline in the '61 GF side alongside Bob Spargo and Ian Bryant.
Alex left in '63 to become captain coach of Box Hill in the VFA - a role he played for 5 years.

Gee the racehorse was fast. Also played with Barry Smith on the other wing if I remember correctly when Bryant went to the back pocket. Smith was a talented player too.

[Bulldog4life]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Alex's father who also was named Alex played with the doggies in the twenties for one season too

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Gee the racehorse was fast. Also played with Barry Smith on the other wing if I remember correctly when Bryant went to the back pocket. Smith was a talented player too.

Indeed he was a talented player. Super quick and elusive which you had to be when you only weighed 68kg!

[Bulldog4life]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Indeed he was a talented player. Super quick and elusive which you had to be when you only weighed 68kg!

https://maribyrnonghobsonsbay.starweekly.com.au/sport/alecgardiner/

A Bulldog reflects on ’61, hopes for glory in ’16

Among the millions of people who will be watching and hoping the Western Bulldogs win the AFL premiership, will be Gisborne’s Alec Gardiner.

Gardiner is one of just a few former Bulldogs players who have previously played on football’s biggest stage – he played in the Bulldogs 1961 grand final team that lost to Hawthorn. The Bulldogs’ only other grand final was in 1954 when they won their only premiership.

“It is terrific after such a long wait and so many disappointments along the way,” Gardiner said ahead of the grand final.

“We’ve been waiting this long for someone else to take the mantle. It’s one of those titles you don’t really want to hold on to – the last team to get into the grand final.

“The way they’ve done it so exciting and a bit of a fairytale. Everyone is talking about them and getting on board.”

Gardiner arrived at the Bulldogs, who were known as Footscray back, in 1955 – the year after the premiership.

He had played for Gisborne for three years, including being runner-up in the local competition’s best-and-fairest award at the age of 17.

The Gardiner family is one of the best known in the local sports community. The main sports ground is Gisborne is named the Gardiner Reserve.

His father, Alec Gardiner sr, played 23 games at the Bulldogs in the 1920s.

“There was an understanding if I was any good I would go there [Footscray],” Gardiner said.

“I idolised these guys. After two games, I was in the side which played in the premiership the year before.”

He played alongside the great Teddy Whitten, who captained the side and later coached it.

He recalls that 1961 season as being similar to 2016, with the Bulldogs not expected to be in the grand final.

“We had an average age of 21,” he said.

“Everyone speaks about the Dogs’ handballing these days – we had own sort of handball called the flick pass.

“Teddy Whitten specialised in it, though it was a later banned.

“We played St Kilda and defeated them. We then play Melbourne, the powerhouse of the competition, and we beat them in the preliminary final.”

The Bulldogs fairytale story didn’t continue as a bigger and stronger Hawthorn side ran over the top of them in front of 107,000 supporters at the MCG.

The Bulldogs led by eight points at half-time, but the Hawks eventually won 13.16 (94)-7.9 (51).

As well as losing the game, it was painful for Gardiner, who played on the wing.

“We were really young, fast and quick,” he said. “Hawthorn was known as Kennedy’s Commandos. They were much bigger and stronger.

“We led at half-time, but the dressing room looked like a first aid room.

“I got a bad corkie in the second quarter and got another on top of that in the third quarter and that was the end of me.

“It was pretty disappointing to lose – we’d done pretty well as a team.”

Gardiner left the Bulldogs after the 1962 season and headed to Victorian Football Association to coach Box Hill.

He had played 92 games at the Bulldogs. He also met the then vice-president’s daughter, Jacki, who he would go onto marry.

He said he left mainly for the money, as league footballers weren’t paid much at the time and coaching gave him the chance to earn a bit more. Despite playing just 73 games for Box Hill he was named captain in its greatest ever team line-up.

As well as coaching, Gardiner got into the fitness side of things – and that led to him returning to the then VFL.

He was also chairman of selectors at Fitzroy, where he had the rare honour of being one of the few people in that role to be sacked.

These days Gardiner lives back in his home town of Gisborne. At 82 he said he would have liked to go to the grand final and had the opportunity, but would instead watch every moment from home.

He said he would love nothing more than to see a Bulldogs’ premiership.

“It will be wonderful to see the kids get up,” he said. “They deserve it and it would be just reward for the work that has been done.

“The club was in tatters not too long ago.”

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Colin Dell took an absolute hanger over Des Tuddenham at Victoria Park. I will try and locate the photo and put it up.

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Thanks for posting - great read.

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Colin Dell took an absolute hanger over Des Tuddenham at Victoria Park. I will try and locate the photo and put it up.

Here it is.

https://images.app.goo.gl/QQvqDJjFpF3KCgrA6

[Bulldog4life]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Here it is.

https://images.app.goo.gl/QQvqDJjFpF3KCgrA6

I remember that now. High as Joe Cocker. Wonder if it was mark of the year or did they have it then?

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

1986 saw Greg Epplestun debut wearing #46. He switched next season to #12 and wore it for the rest of his 7 year career with us which yielded 102 games and one goal.. A tough, dour defender he took some big scalps down back. Went to North for one year but injured his groin in the first round and the injury got the better of him and forced retirement.

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

"James Cook appeared in the #12 in season 1996 and played 4 seasons. From Carlton he was a good leading, strong marking, long kicking full forward. He played 49 games and booted 96 goals.

I acknowledge Wikipedia for the following on his career with us.


After struggling in his first year at Footscray, Cook played the best football of his career in 1997, with the club now re-branded the Western Bulldogs. He kicked 36 goals for the season, 17 of them in the final three games as the Bulldogs fell just short of making a Grand Final, to finish third in their goal-kicking behind Simon Minton-Connell and Chris Grant. His run started in round 22 when he kicked seven goals and three behinds against Hawthorn. He then kicked a game high four goals to help his club defeat Sydney in the Qualifying Final, outperforming Swans forward Tony Lockett. Cook then kick six goals in the preliminary final against Adelaide. He could have had seven, but an apple thrown from the crowd disrupted the kick when he went for his seventh goal. This would prove to be costly, as the crows came back to win by two points, ending the Bulldog's season.

In 1998 he kicked 23 goals from 11 appearances and in 1999 he finished with 32 from 19 games. On five occasions during this time he kicked five goals or more but also played many games where he saw little of the ball and he was offloaded to Melbourne in the 1999 Pre-Season Draft."

[Bornadog]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

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