Advertisement

Why diehard Bulldogs fans are daring to dream

Is one of footy's longest droughts about to end?

Is one of footy's longest droughts about to end? Photo: Getty

If there was ever a hard luck story in footy, it is my club, the Western Bulldogs.

Up by 23 points at three-quarter-time in a preliminary final?

History tells us not to jump in the queue for grand final tickets but to watch, nervously, for the inevitable catch: a goalless last quarter and a two-point loss so heart-wrenching that seeing a rerun still stings.

You see, those of us who don the red, white and blue bank on doing it tough.

We are a working class club with little money, few fans and hard on luck.

We’ve lost count of the times we’ve entered the MCG high on anticipation, only to watch our players vanquished and trudge home deflated. The many Monday mornings we’ve been forced to read tales of our “valiant” efforts in the news. All those times we’ve been the could-haves, should-haves, or also-rans.

Injuries should really have ended our season by now.

Inspirational skipper Robert Murphy suffered a season-ending knee injury in Round 3, and the problems kept coming.

western bulldogs

Robert Murphy has been missing since April. Photo: Getty

Jason Johannisen was next to be sidelined, followed by Marcus Adams, Easton Wood, Tom Liberatore, Jack Macrae, Mitch Wallis and Jack Redpath. 

Footy fans were sympathetic and all agreed, it wasn’t meant to be. It just wasn’t our year.

But Luke Beveridge’s battlers kept scrapping, kept finding a way. 

We reached the top eight, setting up an elimination final against West Coast in Perth. No one gave us a shot, with the Eagles finishing the regular season in superb fashion.

As fans, though, we were cautiously optimistic.

After all, Libba was back, so too Macrae, Wood, Jake Stringer and Jordan Roughead. Surely we’d give it a go?

An emphatic and stirring victory followed.

All that stood in our way of a preliminary final berth was Hawthorn, the three-time defending premiers and one of the best teams to have ever played the game.

Thousands gathered at Federation Square before the match to hear from President Peter Gordon and Danny “the bannerman” McGinlay.

western bulldogs

The Bulldogs were way too good for the Hawks. Photo: Getty

We chuckled, at our history, fortune and those bloody umpires.

Yet marching to the MCG, there was also a quiet confidence.

The Hawks were four goals up at one stage, but looked every bit a heavyweight champion who’d taken on one fight too many in the second half.

The Bulldogs, full of energy, passion and desire, ran over the top of them, and when Stringer burst from a pack and snapped one across his body in the third quarter, we knew the game was ours.

It felt as though the weight of history had shifted on its axis.

Eight days later, on the way to Spotless Stadium, a fellow fan, head down and deep in thought, found a $10 note fluttering on the ground.

I watched him as he hoisted it in the air, triumphant – but then, suddenly, aghast at a horrible thought.

What if he’d just used up his luck before the game against the Giants?!

In the last quarter, the Dogs had to find something else, trailing by 14 points. For a few minutes, it felt as though a grand final was a step too far. And yet, we won.

western bulldogs

Dogs fans are very excited. Photo: Getty

Like they’d done so many times this season, when it mattered, the Bulldogs lifted.

In the stands, we cheered, laughed and pinched ourselves to be sure we weren’t dreaming. Many wept.

We’ve battled so often, against the odds, that accepting loss had become ingrained. Yet, could this be it? And, if you’ve never experienced it in your lifetime, how on Earth do you recognise it?

Naturally, we’re still up against it.

Our opponents, Sydney, are minor premiers. They have been there, and won that. They have Buddy.

But these Dogs – they have a thirst that cannot be quenched.

And, given their finals run so far, who would bet against them?

Dinah Arndt grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne and is a lifelong supporter of the Dogs.

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.