Western Bulldogs’ first banner of 2017 for JLT Community Series is a big winner

THE AFL’s reigning premiers are also the reigning premiers of creative banners. And Bob Murphy was greeted with an absolute classic for his return game.

The Western Bulldogs' banner for their JLT Community Series game against Melbourne.

THE AFL’s reigning premiers are also the reigning premiers of creative banners.

And Western Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy was greeted with an absolute classic for his return game.

In the first of two matches on Saturday afternoon at Whitten Oval, Murphy led the Bulldogs out for their first JLT Community Series clash of 2017 against Melbourne.

Murphy and his teammates ran through a Bulldogs banner that was split up into two themes, with the first sentence a cheeky dig at any AFLW doubters.

“Men can play this game too? Good on ya boys for giving it a go,” the banner read.

But perhaps the Dogs saved their best work for the second sentence.

The banner. #BeMoreBulldog #JLTSeries pic.twitter.com/rluTZMUQbp

— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) February 18, 2017

In a first for footy, the Dogs-Dees men’s pre-season game was a curtain-raiser to the main event, which will be the AFLW clash between the same two clubs.

And the work of the Dogs’ cheersquad undoubtedly would’ve brought a smile to the face of Murphy and his teammates as they read the second line.

“But seriously, get off before the real match starts!”

Well played, guys.

Even coach Luke Beveridge got into the jovial spirit pre-game.

“Yeah it’s great a pretty big crowd for a curtain-raiser too,” Beveridge joked to Fox Footy.

Great banner. Nice nod to the #AFLW match on here later. pic.twitter.com/QTBqAFx3bs

— Lauren Wood (@LaurenA_Wood) February 18, 2017

It was a quick and much-needed recovery for the Bulldogs’ cheersquad, who got off to a rough start in the AFLW season.

Banner mastermind Danny McGinlay revealed the club’s cheersquad still had a “premiership hangover” come the first AFLW game against Fremantle.

“On our first women’s game, the banner was supposed to say: ‘Our sons of the west have proven their best, rejoice now supporters we will unleash the daughters’ — you know, cute little thing, ‘sons of the west, daughters of the west’,” McGinlay told Triple M.

“Already a little stuff up: The cheersquad accidentally put ‘our boys of the west have proven their best’. It just ruined the joke.”

Great recovery, team.

Originally published as Western Bulldogs’ first banner of 2017 for JLT Community Series is a big winner