AFL grand final: Western Bulldogs won’t have to wear their clash jumper against Melbourne

Nearly 70 years after they last played in a grand final, history will repeat when Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs clash on Saturday week.

Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs will wear the same uniforms from round 19 in the AFL grand final. Picture: Michael Klein

Tradition has won out and the Western Bulldogs have avoided having to wear a white clash jumper in Saturday week’s AFL grand final with Melbourne.

As the higher-ranked team, minor premiers Melbourne was guaranteed to wear their navy blue and red jumper with navy home shorts and red socks in the decider.

There were fears the Bulldogs, however, could be forced to wear their white away jumper, not the traditional royal blue jumper with one red and white hoop.

In round 19 this season the Bulldogs wore their traditional jumpers with white shorts as the away club against Melbourne at the MCG, a match they won by 20 points.

The AFL has conceded there was no clash that day, and the Bulldogs will wear the same jumper they sported in their 2016 premiership success against Sydney, albeit with white shorts this time.

Ben Brown and Tom Liberatore model the 2021 Grand Final kits. pic.twitter.com/908oO5oljV

— Sam Landsberger 🗯 (@SamLandsberger) September 13, 2021

Melbourne and Western Bulldogs uniforms for the 2021 AFL Grand Final. @[e-mail]/nAmIzrMuc3

— Jordan Tunbridge (@JordanTunbridge) September 13, 2021

It means the two teams will wear modern versions of the same uniform designs worn when they faced off in the 1954 VFL grand final.

There had been precedents for clubs to be forced to wear alternative strips in grand finals.

There was some controversy in 2017 when Richmond was forced to wear their predominantly yellow clash jumper against Adelaide in a game the Tigers won.

It also happened when GWS (2019), West Coast (2015), Fremantle (2013) and St Kilda (2010) also wore clash jumpers in recent grand finals.

Originally published as AFL grand final: Western Bulldogs won’t have to wear their clash jumper against Melbourne