Yarns, Fables, Stories of the club.

[bulldogtragic]

I recently heard a story I hadn't heard before. Brad Johnson said at post game review after the 1997 prelim (Sunday or Monday) that Plough Wallace enter the room with the words 'we blew it' written in texta across his forehead and addressed the players. I'm not sure if I forgot it or never heard it.

So, thought I'd start a thread for other interesting little yarns about the club or players you've heard over time that might not be as well known as Turtle's 20c piece story.

[KT31]

Rumour had it KT told the club to sell him at the best price they could get because he was stuffed and had very little footy left.
Would love to believe it , but the cynical part of me believes he had an offer to good to refuse.

[LostDoggy]

In 1997 or thereabouts all the players made a pact to get a Bulldogs tattoo if they won the flag. Danny Southern, the worldly fellow he was, refused - saying that in his experience getting a tattoo was a meaningful, sacred rite.

Probably fable, though I've always liked it for what it said about Danny.

[Happy Days]

I've been waiting for 6 years for someone to start this thread.

What was the deal with Daniel Hargraves anyway? Same for Brad Murphy.

Bob Murphy told a great story at Presentation Night at the Corner; as a senior player, he had dibs on what music was played in the weights room. Being Bob, he chose to play the Stones or something of that ilk, which prompted a young, unnamed (and strongly hinted by Bob to be hack) player to lean on Bob's treadmill and say "who the f*** is this?"

To which Bob responded "who the f*** are you?"

[Twodogs]

I met a bloke in a pub in Collingwwod one night and he told me my favourite footy story ever. It was about the one game he played for Fitzroy lining up on Jack Collins at the Western Oval. The ball was down the other end and Jack started chatting away. After a while he said "hey, she's a bit of alright" "who's that Jack." That girl over near the umpires race" He could see someone with long hair but he told Jack that he couldn't quite see her well enough. Jack told him to wander over a bit closer because she really was something to see properly. So he took a few steps over and yelled out to Jack that he still couldn't see her. Jack yelled out to him to get a bit closer still so walked over a bit more. "I still can't see her... Jack. Jack?" He turned around and there was Collins running into the goal square bouncing the ball while our friend was standing twenty yards away staring into the crowd.

I don't know if it was true or not but it's an epic tale.

[LostDoggy]

How do i hashtag Eastdog into this thread?

#Eastdog! Eastdog!

[Mofra]

I like the story about Glen Coleman's car breaking down after training.
Another player (Standfield?) had a rope in his car so offered to tow Galaxy's car home.

He asked where Glen lived, and Galaxry responds with "I'll direct you on the way".
Galaxy wasn't a 'rocket-surgeon' and someone had to explain to him that he'd need to be sitting in his car to steer it.

[Sedat]

The first thing I thought of when seeing this thread was the pre-season game against Freo in 2011 when a young Jayden Schofied gave a few Freo players some lip service. He was quite a lippy player by all accounts, and in this game he got stuck into Jack Anthony along the lines of "no wonder Collingwood got rid of you seeing as how s*** you are". Then he got stuck into Kepler Bradley, allegedly saying "can't believe you are still on an AFL list, I thought you were delisted years ago". Ryan Crowley had had enough of Schofield by this stage and supposedly grabbed him by the throat, to which Schofield casually replied "I don't even know who the f*** you are" :D

[GVGjr]

In one of Brad Murphy's first training session he was pitted against Brad Johnson. After beating him in a one on one duel young Murphy flipped Johnson the bird. This didn't go over well with the players.

[westdog54]

The first thing I thought of when seeing this thread was the pre-season game against Freo in 2011 when a young Jayden Schofied gave a few Freo players some lip service. He was quite a lippy player by all accounts, and in this game he got stuck into Jack Anthony along the lines of "no wonder Collingwood got rid of you seeing as how s*** you are". Then he got stuck into Kepler Bradley, allegedly saying "can't believe you are still on an AFL list, I thought you were delisted years ago". Ryan Crowley had had enough of Schofield by this stage and supposedly grabbed him by the throat, to which Schofield casually replied "I don't even know who the f*** you are" :D

Yep I remember that story. Love the last one to Crowley.

TD's Jack Collins story is a ripper.

[Murphy'sLore]

Someone tell the Captain Groenewegen story. There must be someone here who hasn't heard it yet :)

[Bulldog4life]

EJ broke the scaphoid bone in his left wrist early in his career. He never had it operated on. He played for many years with his wrist heavily strapped protecting the break. Imagine what he would have been like with two good wrists!

[bornadog]

I think there are a few stories when we played West Coast.

One of Tony Libba's first games. Worsfold was barking instructions to players left right and centre telling them to man up, or cover a position etc and then was heard to say (about Libba), "and somebody stomp on that cockroach on the ground"

There was also the story of urinating on the ground, but can't remember which player? Was it Browny?

[Axe Man]

Someone tell the Captain Groenewegen story. There must be someone here who hasn't heard it yet :)

Robert Groenewegen:
A ruckman/defender for the Western Bulldogs from 1978 to 1986, he is probably best remembered for his 1985 end of season football trip antics. The heavily intoxicated Groenewegen, on a flight to Hawaii, grabbed the hosties' flight microphone and uttered the words: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Groenewegen speaking...we are currently cruising at 10,000 metres. I hope you are enjoying the flight because it will be your last, we're going down".

He also sneakily let it all hang out in a team photo which was overlooked by a newspaper editor and published.

[Twodogs]

I think there are a few stories when we played West Coast.

One of Tony Libba's first games. Worsfold was barking instructions to players left right and centre telling them to man up, or cover a position etc and then was heard to say (about Libba), "and somebody stomp on that cockroach on the ground"


In one of Tony Liberatore's first games he had run and run and run some more, all day. The siren blew and Libba stopped and turned around to shake his opponents hand only to realise that as soon as the siren blew, because his opponent (can't remember who it was) had run so much to keep up Libba, passed out with exhaustion the moment he heard the siren.

[KT31]

Someone tell the Captain Groenewegen story. There must be someone here who hasn't heard it yet :)

Why not let the man himself tell it ?

http://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?2987-Interview-With-Robert-Groenewegen&p=45665&highlight=Captain+Groenewegen#post45665

[Sedat]

The Subiaco brawl in 1994 has an interesting sub-plot to it. The year before in the corresponding fixture, Brett Heady tore us a new one and kicked a big bag of goals. Every time he kicked a goal, he would give a gobful to his direct opponent - along the lines of "that's 5", "that's 6", and so on. Wally was shifted onto him for his last couple of goals and he continued with this line of sledging to Wally. Fast forward 12 months later just after Wally has poleaxed Heady with a perfect hip and shoulder, he leans over to Heady's semi-conscious body lying prostrate on the ground and says "that's 1" :D

[Twodogs]

The Subiaco brawl in 1994 has an interesting sub-plot to it. The year before in the corresponding fixture, Brett Heady tore us a new one and kicked a big bag of goals. Every time he kicked a goal, he would give a gobful to his direct opponent - along the lines of "that's 5", "that's 6", and so on. Wally was shifted onto him for his last couple of goals and he continued with this line of sledging to Wally. Fast forward 12 months later just after Wally has poleaxed Heady with a perfect hip and shoulder, he leans over to Heady's semi-conscious body lying prostrate on the ground and says "that's 1" :D


Thanks Sedat. I often wondered what Wally said to Jobby. You can see in the replay Wally looms right over him and says something.

[bornadog]

Thanks Sedat. I often wondered what Wally said to Jobby. You can see in the replay Wally looms right over him and says something.

From Perthnow -Sept 2011 talking about Danny Southern


A MULLET-HAIRED Bulldog named Danny Southern once choked an opponent to the point where he blacked out.That victim was West Coast Eagles full forward Peter Sumich.

Footscray played the Eagles at Subiaco Oval on the final day of the 1994 home-and-away season and the match isn't remembered for West Coast's impressive win.

Seconds before the half-time siren sounded, Eagles forward Brett Heady was viciously shirt-fronted by Bulldog Steve Wallace, sparking a wild all-in brawl.

Players jumped off the bench as fists went flying, but it was the actions of Southern which entered him into AFL's infamy books.

Southern put Sumich to sleep in a headlock, which caused him to black out and collapse. He reflected later that at the time he briefly feared he "had killed him''.

[Rocket Science]

From Perthnow -Sept 2011 talking about Danny Southern


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZe_CssU4U

For anyone inclined to reminisce, the good stuff erupts at 1:00 ...

Wally's hit was hardly cavalier or vicious, but he knew what he was doing.

Jeez I loathed that Eagles squad. Sumich the worst of them. Probably because he dined out on us regularly.

[GVGjr]

Back in the day, clubs would regularly present the same story to the tribunal and both West Coast and Footscray had rehearsed their stories beforehand. At the last minute, and perhaps with an AFL warning, West Coast dropped us right in it and we got the raw end penalties. I can remember guys like Hawkins and MacPherson were devastated that the 'code' had been broken and I don't think it was ever recovered.

It was a real game changer from a number of perspectives.

[Twodogs]

Back in the day, clubs would regularly present the same story to the tribunal and both West Coast and Footscray had rehearsed their stories beforehand. At the last minute, and perhaps with an AFL warning, West Coast dropped us right in it and we got the raw end penalties. I can remember guys like Hawkins and MacPherson were devastated that the 'code' had been broken and I don't think it was ever recovered.

It was a real game changer from a number of perspectives.


It cost Doug his last finals appearance IIRC.

[bulldogtragic]

Teddy Whitten sought to play another year with North. North told him he'd play reserves and then get promoted on form. EJ told them he'd never played reserves and never would so there endeth that idea.

[LostDoggy]

There was also the story of urinating on the ground, but can't remember which player? Was it Browny?

I think that was Kritter. Hung the snake out the bottom of the shorts and hosed on the ground at 1QT, or 3QT.

[SonofScray]

Yeah, Kretiuk took a slash on bended knee in the huddle pre game. It was big news, a bit of moral outrage from the media at the time.

[Happy Days]

In one of Brad Murphy's first training session he was pitted against Brad Johnson. After beating him in a one on one duel young Murphy flipped Johnson the bird. This didn't go over well with the players.

That's awesome I'm upset he didn't make it now

[Webby]

Rumour had it KT told the club to sell him at the best price they could get because he was stuffed and had very little footy left.
Would love to believe it , but the cynical part of me believes he had an offer to good to refuse.

Yeah, that's romantic revisionism at its best. KT was a Melbourne supporter as a kid and we were woeful. Also, he was keen on Barass - who he'd idolised as a kid - even wearing the number 31 on his back. Big money thrown into the mix and enough said.

Also, the suggestion that he knew he was crocked doesn't reflect well on his character if you look at it from the Melbourne FC viewpoint!

[GVGjr]

That's awesome I'm upset he didn't make it now

He was a very confident youngster who thought all players bringing the ball into the forward line should kick it to him. Really got PO'd when they didn't. Shame his ability didn't match his opinion. There is a difference between players who can back up a bit of swagger (Stringer) and arrogance (Akermanis) and players like Brad Murphy and Jayden Schofield who just have an inlafted oinion of their real worth.

[Bulldog4life]

Here is a good story about the doggies from a passionate supporter.



WE dated a long time. We met every second Saturday, 2.10pm, forward pocket terrace, six months of the year. In front of the EJ Whitten Stand, diagonally opposite the scoreboard.

The bewitching Western Oval and I had a long-standing love affair that still exists in memory today.

It was quite some journey. The scent of hot pies, hot chips, hot dogs and cold beer - the stench of cigarette smoke, flatulence and more cigarette smoke. It was a place to scream in despair, shout for joy or sigh in disappointment.

There was the fellow who’d dress in all his Bulldog colours but spend his time bagging his ‘beloved’ team; the old lady who would secure a front row seat for her and her yet-to-arrive-but-we’ll-get-there-just-before-the-siren friends with the longest red, white and blue blanket you’d ever see. The young couple who had gone to watch a game of footy but saw little of it.

You didn’t mind the drenchings, which were often. You’d just hope you’d found the feeling in your fingers and toes by the time you got back to the car. Still, you were happy as long as the lads had put in and put up the good fight. That’s all they could do in my early days. The Dogs only ever swapped wins with St Kilda and Melbourne. Won little else.

The tide started to turn in 1983. A little bloke from Bairnsdale came in from the cold and lit up the soggy Barkly Street oval. Brian Royal brought with him a curly-haired shuffler in Steven Wallis and a collection of talls and smalls from interstate who led a huge revival.

The skilled ruckman Andrew Purser who punched above his weight and height (and gave Brian Taylor a backhander from yesteryear); Jimmy Sewell, an immediate cult hero with determination, marking skills and persistence. We started to win. And win often. There was a stirring victory over Hawthorn at their Princes Park home. Jim Edmond was dominant and flying high.

There was the Pieman Simon Beasley, who lit up a gloomy Western Oval sky one day with a 12-goal bag, and won a game after the siren against the Pies. Not that I saw it. I held my head in the hands and waited for the screams of delight, or the silence of defeat. Screams it was. And what a day.

You’d never leave after a win until you’d clapped the team off the ground and sung the Sons of the ’Scray at least three times. You’d watch Bluey Hampshire, Royce Hart, Don McKenzie or Michael Malthouse make the slow climb down from the mountainous coaches box in the sky from enemy territory.

You’d catch one last glimpse of Ricky Kennedy walking off the ground and wonder how on earth he ever let Tony ‘Plugger’ Lockett kneel over the top of him, fists flailing.

A red-head from WA reinvented the game with run from defence, and lo-and-behold, Brad Hardie even kicked the occasional goal. Won a Brownlow Medal too. There was the sublime talents of Michael ‘Magic’ McLean, the bull-at-a-gate run from half-back of Brian Cordy, and the silky skills of his stick-thin brother Neil. Has anyone marked a high ball better than the elder Cordy?

And didn’t I love the recycled players. Those who gave up their day jobs to help the Bullies. Con Gorozidis, who at least always looked like he’d take another screamer; Max Crow, who must have been good because he came from Essendon; Allan Edwards; Bruce Duperouzel, who looked about 50 to this young fellow but was a legend from St Kilda; Tony Buhagiar, who’d been a Bomber star; Neal Peart, a big fellow from Richmond; St Kilda’s Mark Kellett, who shored up a poor defence with shoulders that went forever; Angelo Petraglia, the little left foot dynamo from North Melbourne who ‘hated’ a goal.

Then there was Peter Foster. Once at Fitzroy, quickly a Bulldog favourite. He gave Dermott Brereton nightmares when at centre-half back. At centre-half forward he’d mark everything. A true favourite.

Steve ‘Super’ Macpherson, his brother Rod, Micky McKenna, Ian Williams. All favourites.

Eight goals to nil in the first 20 minutes against Fitzroy, keeping Carlton goalless for a whole game ... bar 20 damn seconds. Beating Essendon easily in their 1985 premiership year. If only we’d knocked off Hawthorn in the prelim. Ah, the memories ...

Now we come to the ‘Hawk’, Doug Hawkins. He made a dirty day clean, a rotten loss bearable. They were the days when full backs kicked out to opposing ruckmen, no one else. Not when the Hawk was playing. They still kicked it to Doug. Didn’t matter if he was two-foot smaller, he’d outmark his opponent, or bring the ball to the ground, wheel around on either foot, and pinpoint a gun pass onto a chest. A superstar. Pity he always played on the other side of the ground, the ‘Doug Hawkins Wing’. He was magic. One day, close to the boundary with the ball, surrounded by opposition players, the Hawk calmly hand-passed the ball onto an opponent’s foot - out on the full. Mesmerising.

So many memories. I’m off to the footy. Go Dogs.


http://www.maribyrnong.starweekly.com.au/story/1409448/doggy-tales-joy-on-the-western-oval-terraces/?cs=1216

[strebla]

As a young fella from Melon st Zeno Tzatzaris (I hope it's spelled right) grew up 7 houses down. he had a big red tin roof with ZENO emblazed in white paint which the story goes when he was picked up by the dogs his proud father painted it.I was at the club one night having a beer with zeno and asked him about it the truth was it was a young Zeno who painted it and a very pissed of dad when he saw it so fact and fiction are miles apart.

[ledge]

I can tell you one about the facilities manager at the moment before he got the job.
I met him in the EJ stand one day it was qtr time many years ago, not sure of the opponents but he was there with his mates who were my mates too, anyway he had the old camera around his neck and decided he would be the mystery newspaper photographer of the day , so with a bit of beer in him and a few people in his ear he ran down the stairs and straight into the ground.
The coach I think it was Wheeler at the time was giving his speech and there was Klippo camera in hand in his face on knees doing all the camera man moves clicking away getting in the way of trainers other camera men , players etc, not one security guard or policeman or anyone for that matter questioned it . After the Qtr time break he just ran off back up the stairs to cheers from the whole stand who had witnessed it all.
Very funny stuff , years later he is facility manager, I asked him if that was in his résumé.

[Drunken Bum]

Great thread, thanks BT and everyone who's contributed, love reading these old stories,particularly enjoyed the article B4L shared about watching that mid 80's team especially having moved from country NSW to Melb in 83 and being able to go to games, reading it i felt like i could very well have written this :) but all of them have been great, cheers guys

[w3design]

From Perthnow -Sept 2011 talking about Danny Southern
Ha that was the day i started supporting the dogs while working in Kalgoorlie. Libba hounded Ben Cousins up the ramp at half time. I was the only Victorian in a pub full of sand gropers ( cocky lot they were) and won a $100 bucks on them. Ahh good memories

[ledge]

Alastair Ford was known for his quiet and his unaggressive nature , well
Mick Malthouse at the time had him seeing a psychologist to
Maybe spur him on a bit..
It was 1985 I think, the day before Hardie won the brownlow, the boys started at the club then to the Waterloo club hotel where they drank a fair amount, Shorty Daniels decided he wanted to punch on with all and sundry with which Alastair calmly told him to shut or he would sort him out with a billiard cue, Shorty shut up, a few more beers and it was on in the toilets after a manly urine fight in which Alistair became the winner again.. Later that night as we walked home all I heard was abuse anger and every letter box from Whitten Oval to Melon STreet take an absolute pounding by karate moves, boxing moves or any other move he could think of.. If only Mick knew he didn't need a psychologist just a few beers before a game it would have been a lot cheaper and more effective especially if big Al thought the numbers on the backs were letterboxes.

[1eyedog]

Geoff Jennings' story below in pretty funny.

'...Yes, prior to the seniors I used to like to watch the reserves play. One day at the MCG I happened to be watching when the crowd erupted. We had a player, Peter Munro, now Munz was as blind as a bat & he’s taken off & jumped into his opponents back on his was to launching himself for a speckie. Only problem was the ball was at the other end of the ground & it was a seagull Munz has seen. Very funny indeed'

[KT31]

I tried to find it but it must be archived, I seem to remember a story that Dougie was meant to place the footy trip money on us against the Cat's and decided to put it on Geelong and we just beat them.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Surely someone will have good Daniel Hargraves stories, didn't he polish his car with steel wool at the encouragement of a senior player? And I remember something about not understanding you needed a passport to travel overseas

[FrediKanoute]

Surely someone will have good Daniel Hargraves stories, didn't he polish his car with steel wool at the encouragement of a senior player? And I remember something about not understanding you needed a passport to travel overseas

I think it was the players were told that they needed Visa's for where they were going overseas and a confused looking Hargraves asked if Mastercard was ok - paraphrasing from memory so please correct if I am wrong

[Twodogs]

I think it was the players were told that they needed Visa's for where they were going overseas and a confused looking Hargraves asked if Mastercard was ok - paraphrasing from memory so please correct if I am wrong

Yep,the Visa/MasterCard/Daniel Hargraves story sounds right. I'm pretty sure it was Lindsee Glibee who didn't know you needed a passport to go overseas.

It was also Gilbee who moved into the wrong flat. He moved into a new flat in a new development with plenty of other empty flats. He moved all his gear in and started to get used to his new surrounds. A couple of days later there is knock at the door and it's the new owners wondering why someone is living in their new place.

[jeemak]

Apparently Gilbs also wanted to know what tomato soup was made from.

[1eyedog]

Apparently Gilbs also wanted to know what tomato soup was made from.

Gilbs used to come down to my Uncle's property out the back of Birregurra to go shooting with Griff 2-3 times a year. I've also chatted to him a few times watching Coldstream go around. Gilbs is a gullible guy no doubt and my Uncle is a comedian so used to take the piss but I find the above very hard to swallow.

[jeemak]

Gilbs used to come down to my Uncle's property out the back of Birregurra to go shooting with Griff 2-3 times a year. I've also chatted to him a few times watching Coldstream go around. Gilbs is a gullible guy no doubt and my Uncle is a comedian so used to take the piss but I find the above very hard to swallow.

Perhaps he said it innocently genuinely wanting to know what was in it beyond tomatoes, but because of his previous form got laughed at for laughing's sake. I think it was Nathan Brown that joked about it on TV once.

[1eyedog]

Perhaps he said it innocently genuinely wanting to know what was in it beyond tomatoes, but because of his previous form got laughed at for laughing's sake. I think it was Nathan Brown that joked about it on TV once.

Fair enough he's a bit vague but not that vague!

[LostDoggy]

Who was it that put a mates' car up for sale in the paper? Was it Gilbs vs Bob, or vice versa?

[1eyedog]

It's not really a fable or all that funny but while we are on the subject of Lindsay my Uncle knows him really well. They got talking after a Darwin game a number of years ago and the two of them hit it off because they both like shooting. My Uncle has a good stretch of land behind Birregurra down in the Otways so gave Lindsay his number and told him to come down anytime. Lindsay took him up on the offer a few months later.

When my Uncle told me Lindsay and a mate were coming down to shoot I drove down so I could meet him. Lindsay turns up with his mate, Sam Reid. My Uncle would fart in front of the Queen but to me Gilbs was Bulldog royalty so I am like a pig in shite. I don't like shooting so off goes my Uncle, Gilbs and Reid for a few hours. They all return with Gilbs in the front of the Land Cruiser wrapped in a blue tarp. My Uncle still pissing himself, tells me and my Aunty this story.

Gilbs is calmly walking across a grassland one second and then he is gone the next. He walked across a large pond full of lily pads and could not tell where the pond started and the grass ended. He went completely under, clothes, head, rifle and came up spluttering until my Uncle and Sam pulled him out. My Uncle said the amusing part other than Gilbs' look of horror was that the pond is only 4ft deep and Gilbs could of just stood up but in his panic started clawing at the edges of the bank. With a wet rifle that was the end of it and not a shot was fired. Stripped off and given a blue trap for modesty.

So ended Gilbs' first sojourn to Birregurra, although he did return.

[westdog54]

It's not really a fable or all that funny but while we are on the subject of Lindsay my Uncle knows him really well. They got talking after a Darwin game a number of years ago and the two of them hit it off because they both like shooting. My Uncle has a good stretch of land behind Birregurra down in the Otways so gave Lindsay his number and told him to come down anytime. Lindsay took him up on the offer a few months later.

When my Uncle told me Lindsay and a mate were coming down to shoot I drove down so I could meet him. Lindsay turns up with his mate, Sam Reid. My Uncle would fart in front of the Queen but to me Gilbs was Bulldog royalty so I am like a pig in shite. I don't like shooting so off goes my Uncle, Gilbs and Reid for a few hours. They all return with Gilbs in the front of the Land Cruiser wrapped in a blue tarp. My Uncle still pissing himself, tells me and my Aunty this story.

Gilbs is calmly walking across a grassland one second and then he is gone the next. He walked across a large pond full of lily pads and could not tell where the pond started and the grass ended. He went completely under, clothes, head, rifle and came up spluttering until my Uncle and Sam pulled him out. My Uncle said the amusing part other than Gilbs' look of horror was that the pond is only 4ft deep and Gilbs could of just stood up but in his panic started clawing at the edges of the bank. With a wet rifle that was the end of it and not a shot was fired. Stripped off and given a blue trap for modesty.

So ended Gilbs' first sojourn to Birregurra, although he did return.

Sorry, can't see how that can be considered "not all that funny". That's freakin hilarious.

[1eyedog]

Sorry, can't see how that can be considered "not all that funny". That's freakin hilarious.

It's a sort of had to be there story I thought.

[westdog54]

It's a sort of had to be there story I thought.

Personally I'm conjuring up images of Robin Hood, Men in Tights where Little John is screaming for help in a two inch deep Creek

[BulldogBelle]

Who knows the story pf the Coach Malthouse / Brad Hardie bust up? The one where Hawkins was involved.

I have it only third had and have forgotten most of it.