The Mighty

Shaun's Sensational Web Page - Western Bulldogs As you know from reading The Shaun Kelly Fact File, the Western Bulldogs are my favourite football team. My support and love of the team from the west of Melbourne borders on obsession. In a recent survey, I answered a question saying that my life would be useless without the Western Bulldogs. This isn't just something I said so that the survey was complete. It is true, I wouldn't be able to follow football if the Bulldogs weren't around. Well, introductions aside, here's the informative section of the page.

What's on my page?

The 1998 Pre-season Details
1998 Practice Matches
Profiles on 1998 New Bulldogs
1997 Season Details
The Season
The Finals
The official Western Bulldogs website
1997 Senior Statistics
Shaun's Favourite Players in Profile
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to visit my Western Bulldogs Site since March 8th, 1998.

1998 Pre-Season Details

For starters, the Bulldogs have a new major sponsor. Well, in a way they do, but they also don't. Bulldog fans watching the Ansett Cup match last Monday night would have noticed that the Bulldogs major sponsor is now Orica. This, in fact, is the new trading name of ICI, who have supported the Bulldogs for a long time.
The Bulldogs started their 1998 assault on the flag not long after Adelaide's 1997 celebrations had finished. With the pain of the preliminary final defeat still haunting the team, the Bulldogs focussed themselves fully on their pre-season campaign. Players such as Leon Cameron and Scott Wynd completed their first full pre-season's in a long time, whilst other players, notably Nathan Brown and Mark West, spent a lot of work in the gym refining their physique. The main aspect of this campaign involved a team camp at Sorrento, which was designed for the players to learn to trust each other again after the Christmas break, and for the team to commit themselves fully on the season ahead.

1998 Practice Matches

Western Bulldogs vs. Melbourne - Whitten Oval

The Bulldogs first major hit-out was a six-quarter match against Melbourne, held at Whitten Oval. Without names such as Chris Grant, Scott West, Tony Liberatore, Paul Hudson, Scott Wynd, Leon Cameron, Rohan Smith, Brad Johnson, Simon Minton-Connell, Luke Darcy and Matthew Dent, the Bulldogs defeated an almost full-strength Demon line-up by two points. Goalkickers for the Bulldogs were Anthony Aloi, Jason Watts and Tyson Lane with 3; Simon Garlick with 2; and singles to Todd Curley, James Cook, Jim Plunkett, Nathan Brown, Simon Cox, Paul Dimattina and Scott Taylor. The best-performed Bulldogs in this match were: Simon Garlick, Anthony Aloi, Jason Watts, Tyson Lane, Matthew Robbins and Mark West. The best feature of this game was that all new players and youngsters who are looking for an opportunity to break into the senoir team impressed, and those players with a history of injuries, such as Matthew Croft, Steve Kretiuk and Daniel Southern, all came through unscathed and impressive.

Western Bulldogs vs. St. Kilda - Whitten Oval

The Bulldogs came ready to play in this game. In what many people wanted to be the 1997 Grand Final re-match, the Bulldogs wiped the floor with an almost full-strength St. Kilda side, winning 18.15.123 to 12.12.84. The goalscorers for the Bulldogs were Paul Hudson and Simon Minton-Connell with 4, Brett Montgomery with 2, and singles to Steve Kolyniuk, Rohan Smith, Scott West, Chris Grant, Simon Garlick, Jason Watts, Jose Romero and Tony Liberatore. Once again, new recruit Simon Garlick was our best player, and was ably assisted by Leon Cameron, Tony Liberatore, Jose Romero and Daniel Southern. Here's how the team lined up:

B: M. Robbins, M. Croft, S. Cox
HB: B. Wira, C. Ellis, M. Dent
C: L. Cameron, S. West, B. Johnson
HF: B. Montgomery, C. Grant, R. Smith
F: L. Darcy, S. Minton-Connell, S. Garlick
Foll: S. Wynd, T. Liberatore, J. Romero
I/change: D. Southern, T. Lane, P. Hudson, S. Kolyniuk, J. Watts, M. West

That's not far from a full-strength line-up. There was a Reserves practice match also, and featuring the likes of Nathan Brown, Paul Dimattina, Adam Contessa, the suspended James Cook, Steve Kretiuk and Todd Curley, the Bulldogs won 18.17.125 to 10.3.63, showing that few teams are going to be able to beat either Bulldog side in 1998 as well as showcasing the remarkable depth of the side.

Ansett Cup - Western Bulldogs vs. Geelong

Well, what can I say other than what a sensational game. In an outstanding display of football, the Bulldogs blew Geelong out of Waverley, winning 22.12.144 to Geelong's paltry 12.9.81. Rohan Smith led the way with 6 goals, followed by Paul Hudson with 4, Steve Kolyniuk with 3, Simon Cox and Chris Grant with 2, and Jose Romero, Simon Minton-Connell, Simon Garlick, Luke Darcy and Leon Cameron with 1. Rohan Smith was by far the best on ground, and others to shine for the Doggies included Libba, Jose Romero, Simon Garlick, Luke Darcy, Scott Wynd, Matthew Dent, Matthew Croft and Michael Martin. The only sour note to come out of the game was the report and subsequent two-week suspension of Craig Ellis, for striking Geelong's Brenton Sanderson. Craig will miss the Bulldogs second-round game against Melbourne, and hopefully the semi-final. The team lined up as:

B: B. Wira, M. Croft, D. Southern
HB: T. Curley, C. Ellis, M. Dent
C: L. Cameron, S. West, T. Liberatore
HF: B. Montgomery, C. Grant, R. Smith
F: L. Darcy, S. Minton-Connell, S. Cox
Foll: S. Wynd, J. Romero, S. Garlick
I/Ch: S. Kolyniuk, M. West, P.Hudson, N. Brown, M. Martin, M. Robbins

The Dogs led at every change, and never looked troubled. They now face Melbourne in their quarter-final clash, and will be chock-full of confidence to face the Demons, whom they have already defeated this pre-season.

Profiles on 1998 New Bulldogs

NB. I have not been able to find any good pictures of the new Bulldog boys, but, rest assured, when I find some, they will be posted here.

Acquired through Trades

Simon Garlick

Number: 4
Games Played: 44
Goals Kicked: 19
Position: Forward/Midfield.
From: Sydney
Honours: Member of Sydney's 1996 Grand Final side.
The Beat: Arguably the best performed Bulldog in the pre-season, the boy whom I like to call "The Clove" has made a great impact on this Bulldog fanatic. Only 22 years old, so there's still a lot of footy left in him. The Bulldogs are looking for him to add depth to the goalkicking and midfield, and so far he hasn't let anybody down. He promises to be as valuable a recruit as Matthew Dent was last year, and will be a player to watch in 1998.

Matthew Robbins

Number: 30
Games Played: 7
Goals Kicked: ??
Position: Defender
From: Geelong
Honours: Traded indirectly for Daniel Hargraves.
The Beat: A promising defender who was almost picked in Geelong's semi-final loss to the Crows. Has been a good player throughout the pre-season, and the Bulldogs will use him in a defensive role this year.

November Draft Picks

Mark Alvey

Number: ??
Games Played: 0
Goals Kicked: 0
Position: Midfield
From: Bendigo Pioneers U/18
Honours: 1997 Bendigo Pioneers Best & Fairest, No. 17 pick in 1998 National Draft
The Beat: Our first pick in the November Draft, and our 17 year-old selection, Mark is a very skilled player who uses the ball extremely well and had an outstanding U/18 finals series last year. Has had a solid pre-season, and he will add pace, goalkicking and endurance to our midfield options. Mark is expected to play senior football in 1998.

Robert Stevenson

Number: ??
Games Played: 11
Goals Kicked: 0
Position: Backline
From: Essendon
Honours: 1994 Essendon Night Premiership,
The Beat: Whilst he has had some prior trouble with injuries, Stevenson comes to the Bulldogs with a clean bill of health. Had success last year, playing only five senior games but keeping Justin Leppitsch and Tony Modra to only one goal. Along with Alec Epis, who helped revive Glenn Manton's career at Carlton, supplied the Bulldogs with a video of his performances. They liked what they saw, and picked him with their second pick. Will add height to the backline.

Anthony Aloi

Number: ??
Games Played: 0
Goals Kicked: 0
Position: Midfield
From: Western Jets
Honours: 1997 Western Jets Best & Fairest, 1997 Teal Cup representative (Victoria Metro)
The Beat: Played in the winning Victoria Metro side in the 1997 Teal Cup, and comes to the Bulldogs as a development player. Has had a good pre-season, being amongst the best players in the practice match against Melbourne and holding down centre half-back in the Reserves match against St. Kilda

Paul DiGiovine

Number: ??
Games Played: 0
Goals Kicked: 0
Position: Ruck
From: Oakleigh Chargers
Honours: 1997 Oakleigh Chargers Best & Fairest, 1997 Teal Cup representative (Victoria Metro)
The Beat: Another development player who played in the 1997 Teal Cup winning Vic Metro side. Has the potential to play in the ruck or in defence, and will be a player to watch through the years.

February Draft

Scott Taylor

Number: 33
Games Played: 1
Goals Kicked: 0
Position: Utility
From: Western Bulldogs
Honours: None
The Beat: Was de-listed after a crippling back injury in 1997 to allow Adam Contessa to take his place on the senior list, but was re-drafted with the Bulldogs' No. 6 pick in the February draft. Is hungry to capitalise on his second chance, and after a solid pre-season, is looking to press for a senior berth in 1998

1998 Rookie List players

Lincoln Reynolds

Number: ??
Games Played: 0
Goals Kicked: 0
Position: Forward
From: Port Melbourne
Honours: None
The Beat: The grandson of Essendon legend Dick Reynolds, Lincoln is a very talented, but sometimes wayward, forward, who spent the 1997 season with Port Melbourne. Renowned for his goalkicking ability and marking strength.

Shaun Tinsley

Number: ??
Games Played: 0
Goals Kicked: 0
Position: Defender
From: Port Melbourne
Honours: None
The Beat: Been around the league for three or four years, having done pre-seasons at several clubs. Played with Port Melbourne in the VFL in 1997. Was steady as a defensive player with Melbourne in practice matches this year and the Bulldogs swooped.

1997 Season Details

The Western Bulldogs had a very successful 1997 season. After finishing 15th in 1996, winning only five games for the year, a taskforce approached the Footscray commitee with a view to improve the image of the club. The taskforce, led by David Smorgon, took over control of the club, and when Peter Gordon stood down as president, Smorgon was elected as the president for 1997 and beyond. Along with the taskforce, he undertook to create a new image for the club, re-naming it the Western Bulldogs (as the club's trading name. The official business name is Footscray Football Club Ltd. trading as the Western Bulldogs), and designing a new playing jumper, which looks like:

Playing Jumper

With all of the changes at the club, supporters, including myself, expected big things from the Bulldogs in 1997. While we lost our Ansett Cup pre-season against reigning premier North Melbourne, there were good signs for the upcoming season. However, these signs took a downward slide with the first game of the season.

The Season

Playing against Fremantle at Optus Oval, a lot of supporters were locked out of the ground after they discovered that there were only 3000 general admission seats in the new Legends Stand and that they had to pay an extra $12.00 for a seat. To add insult to injury, the football team was beaten on the last kick of the day by Fremantle's Winston Abraham. However, this was a turning point for the Western Bulldogs 1997 season. The club lowered seating prices for home games, introduced a policy in which members, such as myself, could bring visitors to home games for the general admission price plus $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for concession, and the football team won 8 of the next 10 games to sit on top of the ladder at the State-Of -Origin break of the season. As well as the senior team sitting on the top of the ladder, the reserves were putting in an equally impressive performance. The strength of the team at this stage of the season was indicated by the fact that there were 10 Western Bulldogs players picked in State-Of-Origin squads. Chris Grant, Rohan Smith, Brad Johnson, Scott West, Craig Ellis, Jose Romero and Tony Liberatore were all picked in the Victorian squad, Luke Darcy was picked in the South Australian squad, Brad Wira in the Western Australian squad and Simon Minton-Connell in the Allies squad, having the most representatives of any AFL team. However, the only players to represent their states were Grant, Johnson, Smith and Minton-Connell, with the first three all being amongst Victoria's best players and Minton-Connell kicking one goal at full-forward for the Allies. After stumbling against Port Adelaide in Round 12, the Bulldogs had two sensational away victories, against Carlton at Optus Oval and St. Kilda at Waverley. Just when everything was looking great, and the age-long dream of a Bulldog premiership was starting to materialise, the Bulldogs dropped their next four games, including a 97-point drubbing by Sydney at the SCG and a narrow loss to Richmond under their new coach, former Bulldog player Jeff Gieschen. This loss caused the Bulldogs to slip out of the eight for the first time since the opening round, and also caused the critics to wonder if the Bulldogs would even make the finals. The next week, the Doggies got their season back on track with a five-goal victory over Melbourne. Bulldog supporters were confident that if our team could win two of their last three games, against Adelaide at Adelaide, West Coast at Whitten Oval and Hawthorn at Waverley, and some other results fell our way that we could sneak into the top four. The game that everyone was allowing for was the game against Adelaide in Adelaide. However, the Bulldogs surprised their critics and, to some extent, their supporters, by absolutely trouncing Adelaide. The next game was against West Coast at Whitten Oval, and the day was absolutely sensational. Despite the driving rain and freezing conditions, the Bulldogs, in a fiery encounter, packed their bags for a September berth by blasting the Eagles out of the water. Against Hawthorn, in another spiteful encounter, the Doggies, led by James Cook and Chris Grant, defeated Hawthorn to clinch third place on the ladder going into the finals and booking a qualifying final against Sydney at the SCG.

The Finals

With the defeat against Sydney still fresh in the minds of supporters, the Bulldog faithful, including myself, converted on the MCG in swarms. And we weren't disappointed. The reserves started off a memorable day by absolutely trouncing Richmond by 97 points. everyone hoped this was a sign of things to come for the seniors. In the most convincing display by the Bulldogs all year, the game was won by quarter-time, with the Doggies kicking 10 goals to none. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the thrills of a finals victory, something Bulldog supporters hadn't felt since 1992. Because of North Melbourne's victory over Geelong the next day, the Bulldogs were propelled straight into the preliminary final. The club was pumped up for the match, also at the MCG against Adelaide, and by half-time, the Doggies had shot away to a 37-point lead, and the scent of a premiership was getting stronger by the minute. A minor stumble in the third quarter left us 22 points up at three-quarter time, and even though we peppered the goals in the first ten minutes to register only behinds, including a Tony Liberatore shot which I swore travelled through the middle posts, supporters went and took their place in the queue at the Tennis Centre for Grand Final tickets. Then, my nightmare came true. The feeling of helplessness that I felt in those last 20 minutes when Adelaide whittled the Doggies lead lower and lower until it disappeared, along with the sadness and disbelief that engulfed me at the final siren, is what I never hope to feel again. To add inmsult to injury, 48 hours later Chris Grant received the most votes in the Brownlow Medal, but was ineligible due to a stupid suspension throughout the year. The funny thing iis that not only did the umpires not report Chris, they also gave him three Brownlow votes in the game.

The official Western Bulldogs website

For more detailed and updated information on the Western Bulldogs, contact the Bulldogs website. Click on the link to go directly to there.

1997 Senior Statistics

These stats were compiled by me by using the statstics featured in the Herald-Sun every Sunday and Monday.

Click Here to view the 1997 player statistics for the Western Bulldogs.

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Shaun's Favourite Players in Profile

Nb. All stats are to the end of the 1997 season.

Chris Grant

Number: 3
Games Played: 167
Goals Kicked: 314
Position: Centre half-forward
Honours: Best & Fairest 1994,1996. Victorian State-of-Origin Representative 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997. Leading Goalkicker 1990, 1994. All-Australian 1997. Leading vote-getter 1997 Brownlow Medal (ineligible because of suspension)
The Beat: One of the game's premier players, Grant has played both at centre half-back, where he came second in the Brownlow Medal in 1996 and at centre half-forward, where he was the leading vote-getter in the 1997 Brownlow Medal, with distinction over the last two years. Early in his career, he also played full-forward. Yet to reach his peak, so put some money on him for the 1998 Brownlow.

Rohan Smith

Number: 5
Games Played: 99
Goals Kicked: 66
Position: Half-back, midfield.
Honours: Victorian State-of-Origin Representative 1997. All-Australian 1997.
The Beat: In reality, I could have listed just about every position on the ground for Smith. During 1997, he played across half-back, half-forward, through the midfield, kicked out from full-back and, during the qualifying final against Sydney, started at full-forward. Was named on a half-forward flank in the 1997 All-Australian team after a sensational season, and was rated by Mike Sheahan as "the most versatile player in the league".

Brad Johnson

Number: 6
Games Played: 76
Goals Kicked: 47
Position: Wing
Honours: Victorian State-of-Origin Representative 1997. Norwich Rising Star Nominee 1995. Reserves Premiership 1994.
The Beat: A kid with an extremely bright future at Whitten Oval. Was a strong chance for the Brownlow Medal after a great season, and was unlucky to miss out on All-Australian selection. Was in the best players in Victoria's victory over South Australia this year. And also has a top personality and willingly responds to photo requests from fans.

Brett Montgomery

Number: 10
Games Played: 16
Goals Kicked: 18
Position: Half-forward flank
Honours: Reserves Best & Fairest 1996
The Beat: Another kid with an extremely bright future at Whitten Oval. "Gomez" burst onto the league scene in style, often teaming with the midfield through their drives down the ground. Loves to have a shot at goal, especially from outside 50 m. Great first quarter in the qualifying final against Sydney, where he kicked the first goal of the game, followed up with another later in the quarter, and had a hand in another, all to the cheers of the crowd. Another guy who hasn't let AFL football go to his head, and is willing to have a chat and sign an autograph.

Jim Plunkett

Number: 13
Games Played: 0
Goals Kicked: 0
Position: Midfield
Honours: Best player in the 1996 VSFL Under-18 Grand Final for the Preston Knights.
The Beat: Watch this guy. Plunkett is the next Rohan Smith. Blessed with pace, natural ability and a crop of red hair, Plunkett played very well in the reserves in 1997, and will be called upon for his first senior experience in 1998. Goes very hard at the ball, a trait which Terry Wallace likes in his players.

Simon Cox

Number: 26
Games Played: 15
Goals Kicked: 6
Position: Full-back.
Honours: Played in both finals 1997.
The Beat: Ever since I saw an article on Cox during his first year in 1995, I have liked the lanky defender from Glenelg. Known as "Snuff", due to the fact that he has the laid-back temperament of Mr. Snuffaluffagus, Cox is a highly under-rated full-back who played his best game against the West Coast Eagles in what seems to be the last game at Whitten Oval. As soon as the siren went, I was over the fence and ran straight out to Cox, congratulating him on a great game. Another player who is taking the fame associated with AFL football in his stride, so much so that he was extremely surprised when I told him that I was his biggest fan. One of the players of the future.

Matthew Dent

Number: 21
Games Played: 67
Goals Kicked: 13
Position: Back pocket, half-back flank.
Honours: Played in both finals 1997.
The Beat: Came from Fitzroy after Brisbane passed him over as one of the eight Fitzroy players they could have chosen, and immediately made his mark at Bulldogland, with his tough, relentless play in the backline. Was at the stage where he was loving his change of environment, going from the team on the bottom of the ladder in 1996 to the team on the top halfway through 1997. Every now and then he kicked a goal too, and was arguably the Bulldogs' best player in the qualifying final. "Psycho Chicken" is another of the many Bulldogs willing to say "G'day" to a fan and sign an autograph or have his photo taken. Great guy, who will be a Bulldog regular for many years

Mark West

Number: 34
Games Played: 11
Goals Kicked: 2
Position: Midfield
Honours: Played in both finals 1997.
The Beat: Wow, does this guy go in hard at the ball. Sparked the Bulldogs' run-on in the second quarter of the preliminary final by getting the ball out of the middle at every opportunity and knocking out everyone that came near him. Will be a senior regular in 1998, and let's hope that he doesn't get crucified at the tribunal like the majority of the team did this year.

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Thank You

Thank you for visiting my webpage. I hope you found it informative. This page was last updated March 8, 1998

Go Doggies '98

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