AFL grand final: Western Bulldogs given permission to wear their traditional strip
It is the 1954 grand final rematch the AFL world can’t wait to see. But what jumper will the Bulldogs players be wearing for the match?
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The romantic rematch of the 1954 Grand Final will be played on the same date and in the same uniforms after the AFL signed off on Melbourne and Western Bulldogs both pulling on their traditional strips.
Charlie Sutton’s Footscray donned the club’s royal blue jumper with one red and white hoop on September 25 in 1954 as the Bulldogs smashed the Demons to secure their maiden VFL premiership.
On Monday the AFL confirmed the Dogs would again be allowed to wear that signature design when the clubs meet on September 25 this year, 67 years to the day since Jack Collins bagged seven goals against Norm Smith and Ron Barassi’s Demons.
The Bulldogs will wear white shorts, which also completed their uniform in that famous game from the 50s.
The Demons, as the higher-ranked club, were guaranteed permission to wear their home jumper and dark blue shorts.
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The Bulldogs have worn their white clash strip in some away games against the Demons this century, but were desperately hoping that fashion statement would not be enforced for what will be the club’s fourth Grand Final appearance.
They had precedent on their side after being allowed to dress in their homewear in away games against Melbourne in more recent seasons, including at the MCG in Round 19 this year.
That night was no clash whatsoever on television and common sense has prevailed.
But there was one embarrassing clash which marred a match between these teams.
In 2010, reigning No.1 pick Tom Scully used the Friday night stage to announce himself with 39 disposals and a goal in just his seventh game.
However the Demons wore partly pink jumpers for the AFL’s Field of Women event and, bizarrely, the umpires also wore pink tops.
Clint Bartram admitted he mistakenly handballed to an umpire thinking it was a teammate.
To cap off the amateur error, the Dogs were in their whites.
The 1954 encounter preceded what would become a mighty Melbourne, which won five of the following six flags.
But the Dees ran on to the MCG five minutes after the scheduled start time against Footscray, which was part of coach Norm Smith’s mind games.
The bulk of a surprisingly small crowd of 80,897 were barracking for the success-starved Bulldogs because they wanted to witness history.
Dogs coach Luke Beveridge suspects that same factor will see Perth predominantly turn red and blue as the Dees look to hoist the cup for the first time since 1964.
Dogs prep for GF behind bars
The Western Bulldogs will re-enter Western Australian quarantine for nearly a week when they return to Perth, despite it being 13 days since Luke Beveridge’s side was near any Covid-19 hotspot.
But Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains said there would be 16 other teams that would happily swap places with his club despite the harsh restrictions they have had to cop from multiple state authorities.
The Bulldogs flew to Perth on Sunday as they begin their AFL grand final preparations having faced the hardest road ever travelled to a grand final.
They had to go from Victoria, to Launceston, to Brisbane, to Perth, to Adelaide and now Perth following a 71-point demolition job of Port Adelaide on Saturday night.
Bains told the Herald Sun the Bulldogs would have to re-enter quarantine when they arrive in Perth on Sunday.
“Unfortunately we still have to do another week of quarantine when we go back to Perth because for WA health purposes when we went to Queensland and played that final (the semi final against Brisbane) it reset our quarantine,” he said.
“So they didn’t count any of our time in Tasmania unfortunately.
“We will do six days and come out next Sunday morning.”
It comes after the Bulldogs were unable to leave their rooms on Friday after touching down in Adelaide, despite testing negative to Covid-19 14 times in 25 days.
It might seem over the top, but Bains said it had helped build the resilience among the Dogs group.
“Credit to the group and the leadership of Chris Grant and Luke Beveridge they have taken a really positive stance around that and characterised it as just another hurdle that we will have to overcome if we are to win the premiership,” he said.
“Ultimately I think if you ask anyone (in the AFL) if they would rather be doing what we are right now and facing that adversity and playing off in a grand final or at home and not it is a pretty simple equation.”
While Melbourne are able to now mix it with the community and play golf at their base at the Joondalup Resort, the Dogs will head straight into the Tradewinds hotel in Fremantle — where Geelong had been staying.
The Demons 57-year premiership drought will mean the footy romantics will have them as their darlings for the September 25 showpiece.
Bains said the Dogs would just focus on creating history of their own.
“Yeah well look they have had a lengthy drought, I wasn’t here in 2016 but being in the industry and knowing how amazing that was for Bulldogs people I know there will be similar sentiment for them (the Demons),” he said.
“But that’s fine, we will prepare for the game oblivious to all that stuff
“For us as a club it is only the fourth time since we entered the VFL that we have played in a grand final so we are intent on building on that history.”
‘About to explode’: Dogs star facing Grand Final heartbreak
Western Bulldogs’ Laitham Vandermeer looms as a hard luck story for the grand final after coach Luke Beveridge claimed he was doubtful to face Melbourne in two weeks.
Vandermeer nailed a goal in the highly impressive preliminary final victory over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, before being forced out of the contest because of hamstring tightness.
Beveridge noted the forward had a “scary history” with soft tissue injuries and was “doubtful at the moment.”
“Our guys thought if he (Laitham) ran any more, it (hamstring) was just about to explode,” Beveridge said. “He had to come out of the game because he could not run.
“That is a concern because he is important for us.
And while the two week-break before fronting the Demons should enable defender Alex Keath to recover from hamstring issues and Cody Weightman to get the all clear from concussion, it will spell bad selection news for two players.
Medical sub Anthony Scott, who entered the game at three-quarter time when Vandermeer was subbed out, looms as one half of the unlucky duo.
“The selection headaches are not ideal for the bad news (for the players who miss a spot), but it is ideal when trying to pick the 23,” Beveridge said.
Beveridge agreed the battle in the engine room between two powerful midfields in the title decider will be intriguing, mentioning the influence of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver in the Demons’ belting of Geelong in Perth on Friday night.
Describing Demons’ captain Max Gawn’s performance as amazing, he said he hoped the ruckman had got his absolutely extraordinary game out of the way.
Beveridge heaped praise on the manner in which his side attacked the Power, having gone into the game as underdog, and said it was an incredible night for the club.
“The collision footy our players were prepared to play was outrageously good,” he said.
“Tonight we played with a little bit of freedom.
“Maybe the pressure of the first two finals was reduced a bit. What a night to find that sense of freedom and I’m so moved by what the players did.”
Admitting he had not been a fan of the week off before the finals, Beveridge said the club would enjoy the two-week lead up to the grand final and prepare for a formidable Demons outfit.
“Melbourne was absolutely outstanding against Geelong,” he said.
“We now have time to celebrate the fact our players have provided the footy club an opportunity to win another flag.
“Two weeks is a little more time to enjoy and anticipate, and our players will feel good about that.”
Dreaded pandemic ruins ultimate fairytale
If there were any more reasons required to despise Covid, the Western Bulldogs have provided it.
The dreaded pandemic has denied AFL fans the ultimate fairytale all-Victorian match-up between an emotion-charged Melbourne and the resilient and inspiring Bulldogs.
Luke Beveridge’s team have been flipping the script all finals series and they won their way through to a second Grand Final in five years with a opening-quarter blitz that rocked Port Adelaide.
PLAYER RATINGS: THE STAR DOGS WHO LED BLITZ
From there the lights never really came on for the Power who were humiliated by 71-points on their home deck.
It will take two weeks for the Victorians to get their heads around the fact that there won’t be 100,000 fans at the MCG on September 25, instead Optus Stadium in Perth will host the dream Grand Final.
A top-of-the-table Melbourne searching for their first flag for 57 years against the Bulldogs, who know all about drought-breaking premierships, going for just the third flag in its history.
It ticks all the boxes for a great Grand Final apart from the fact it will be a television event for the diehard fans of both clubs.
Just for a second imagine the build-up if the world was different in Melbourne, the colour of the Grand Final parade, the hype and excitement throbbing through the home of football . . . sadly we have to stop ourselves from thinking about it.
What we should be celebrating is the courage of this Western Bulldogs outfit who have given themselves the chance to repeat their famous 2016 premiership victory.
No-one has travelled a harder road to get to the last Saturday in September.
After losing the final three games of the home-and-away season to fall outside the top four, the Dogs travelled from Melbourne to Launceston for an elimination final against Essendon.
They then flew to Brisbane for a semi-final showdown with the Lions which they won in extraordinary circumstances by one-point.
The Dogs were then required to fly to Perth where they stayed in a quarantine bubble until flying to Adelaide on Friday where the South Australian health officials forbade them from having a light training run on the Adelaide Oval.
Throw in the fact they were without two key players, centre half-back Alex Keath and exciting forward Cody Weightman, and they were rank outsiders for the preliminary final.
But Beveridge and his band of hardened warriors seem to thrive on having their backs against the wall and they just put their head down and get the job done which is exactly what they did five years ago.
In 2016 they won the opening final in Perth, travelled back to Melbourne for the semi-final before a memorable preliminary final win in Sydney over the GWS Giants.
They then returned to the MCG for the famous victory over Sydney which gave the Dogs their first premiership since 1954.
And in a nice quirk for the Dogs, the team they beat in ‘54 . . . Melbourne.
That game had two of the greatest ever in AFL history going head-to-head, Ron Barassi and Ted Whitten, with the spirit of those two legends still hovering over their respective clubs.
There are plenty of interesting storylines around this 2021 Bulldogs outfit.
Former Demon Mitch Hannan starred against Port with three goals and will play against his former team in the GF while fellow forward Josh Schache, the former Lion and much-maligned No.2 draft pick, played the game of his career in nullifying All-Australian Aliir Aliir.
Adam Treloar was kicked out of Collingwood and now finds himself in a Grand Final after bouncing back from a horror game against the Lions in brilliant fashion.
His good mate Josh Dunkley wanted to go to Essendon last year but the Dogs held strong and he now gets his chance to be two-time premiership player.
Rookie-listed full-back Ryan Gardner was punted from Geelong, ruckman Stefan Martin was considered gone by Brisbane while another rookie Roarke Smith has fought back from two knee reconstructions.
And then there is Bailey Smith.
The young gun who hasn’t missed a game since he burst onto the scene and is now a cult hero - he kicked four goals against Port - with the rock star long hair and model looks.
The list goes on and there are plenty of great stories on the Melbourne side but Saturday night was all about the undermanned Bulldogs who continued to live by its finals mantra - Yield to None.
Match report: Dogs set up date with destiny
- Warren Partland
The Western Bulldogs have continued their stunning finals run against the odds to revive memories of their 2016 premiership heroics and charge into the grand final.
This was not supposed to happen. The Bulldogs have had to negotiate taxing road trips and their champion skipper was under an injury cloud.
In contrast, Port Adelaide could not have been better prepared for the preliminary final and were almost at full strength and loaded with confidence.
But it was the Bulldogs who put on a clinic with a sensational 71-point victory in which they reigned supreme from the opening bounce to earn a clash against Melbourne in the title decider.
BONT WATCH
There was always going to be a massive focus on Marcus Bontempelli and how would his right knee hold up after being hurt late in the win over Brisbane the previous week.
He has been rated the best player in the league this season by his peers and it was common opinion that if the Bulldogs were to win, the star act needed to be in the game.
Obviously Bont was confident in his knee given there was no protection. And not only did he start in the middle at the opening bounce, he got the first clearance.
He moved without discomfort in the first quarter. His class was on show 15 minutes into the contest when he gathered the loose ball and snapped a terrific goal.
ROAD TRIP
The Bulldogs have been on a backpacking mission around the country in the past month.
There was the trip to Launceston for the elimination, then Brisbane, then Perth and now to Adelaide for the preliminary. Weren’t they supposed to be tired?
Someone forgot to tell the players. The Bulldogs were on fire in the opening quarter to bag seven goals and lead by 31 points.
They smashed the Power at the stoppages and were constantly charging forward where the forwards showed their appreciation.
Surely there would be some weary signs in the second term. Nope, the Bulldogs added another five goals.
A dejected Ollie Wines on Saturday night. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos
FORWARDS POWERLESS
The Power small forwards were electric in the big finals win over Geelong. Not so in the first half against the Bulldogs.
Steven Motlop and Orazio Fantasia had just five disposals between them, while Connor Rozee had little influence. Fantasia had a set shot after the half-time siren, but never gave it a chance and snuck in for a behind.
BULLDOGS’ DEMON
Mitch Hannan has proved a bargain buy for the Bulldogs and now he gets a chance to front his former club in the title decider.
Traded for a future third round draft pick, the unheralded Hannan bagged three goals in the first half.
While Power defender Aliir Aliir has been the recruit of the season, Hannan was arguably the recruit of the night. He was playing his 16th game for the season and had kicked two and one goals in the first two weeks of finals.
The Bulldogs had clearly done their homework on Aliir and Josh Schache made him accountable.
Aliir was not allowed to peel off and take those intercept marks which have become his trademark. The athletic defender’s skills were also shaky.
Mitch Hannan was a key part of the Bulldogs’ big win. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos
STATS DAMNING
The game was all but in the Bulldogs’ keeping early and there were some stats which advertised their dominance.
At quarter-time, the Bulldogs were plus 13 in contested possessions, plus nine in clearances and plus six in inside 50s. Two minutes before half-time, the ground ball count was 61-29 in favour of the Bulldogs.
Port’s star midfielders Ollie Wines and Travis Boak had two disposals between them in the first 17 minutes of the match, while Aliir Aliir turned over the ball to a Bulldog with his first two kicks, as the Bulldogs blitz left the Power shell-shocked.
SCOREBOARD
WESTERN BULLDOGS 7.2 12.8 14.12 17.14 (116)
PORT ADELAIDE 1.1 3.4 5.8 6.9 (45)
BEST
Bulldogs: B. Smith, Macrae, Naughton, Hunter, Hannan, Treloar, Williams, Duryea.
Power: Bonner, Wines.
GOALS
Bulldogs: B. Smith 4, Hannan 3, Bontempelli, Naughton 2, Treloar, Schache, Vandermeer, Scott, R. Smith, Johannisen.
Power: Dixon 2, Marshall, Houston, Wines, Bonner.
INJURIES
Bulldogs: Vandermeer (hamstring).
Power: Marshall (hamstring).
UMPIRES - Rosebury, Stevic, Findlay.
VENUE - at Adelaide Oval.
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