Lost behind enemy lines

[Dry Rot]

You know the feeling - it could be a home game or interstate, you think you were clever with the tickets until you arrive and find yourself sitting in the middle of hundreds of opposition supporters, lost behind enemy lines.

What were your best and worst experiences of this? Who are the worst opposition fans to sit amongst?

[The Coon Dog]

I have been to Brisbane & Sydney & on both occasions there were plenty of Doggis fans where I was sitting.

About 6 or 7 years ago I went to Geelong on my own & I don't recall the circumstances, found myself in an enclave of Geeling fans, right near their cheer squad.

It was very intimidating as there were 3 cheer squad members who ruled with an iron fist, 2 had note pads, almost refused to watch the game as they identified cheer squad members who didn't cheer/chant at the appropriate time & wrote details then passed it onto the Hitler of the group.

Gee - long, Gee - long, Gee - long, immaginative lot.

As Geelong were winning comfortably there were many comments directed my way. Anyone would have thought I was responsible for the umpiring! They gave it to me right from the off.

Anyhow we staged a comeback of gargantuan proportions for the second week in a row (we had come back from the dead at the MCG the week before against Adelaide) & as the ball was about to roll over the boundary line for a throw in Paul Hudson flung a boot at it in typical Huddo style & made sweet contact, hitting Darcy on the chest in the goal square. Goal, Doggies infront, siren.

Stunned disbelief all around me. Boy did I sing the song with gusto that day after the siren & did I let them know about it too, bloody oath I did!

SONS OF THE WEST, RED WHITE & BLUE....

[BulldogBelle]

Interstate games I have been to Perth, Syd and Adelaide & Canberra would return back to the first two and Canberra but Adelaide NEVER again, Ohhh my, the people we sat near did nothing but hurl insults at us because we wore the Bulldog colours I am basing this on two visits to Adelaide so it wasn't a one off - will never go there again unless god forbid we have a final there.

With other opposition supporters here in Melb, the ones I dislike most are the Hawks and Melbourne supporters just total smarties. They always have to throw in a smart comment or two.

[GVGjr]

Like the Coon Dog, I have had some memorable trips too Geelong and for years we were always the loser but turning it around for a couple of wins was great to deflect the normal parochial supporters chants.

I have been to Adelaide where we were abused until the Dogs were soundly thrashing them and most of the supporters started leaving just after half time.

The worst one was trips to Victoria Park. The supporters there were simply the shocking. I saw players being spat on as they run up the race and this was after a fairly easy Pies win.
Windy Hill wasn't much better and I had to endure a few games against the Dees where their smug supporters were just drunk on a good win.

You take the good with the bad though.

[Go_Dogs]

Haha, when I used to go to Football Park as a youngster to watch Crows v Dogs games, I'd always be sitting in the Crows Members section - either with my dad whose a Crows member, or with a mate of mine who also went for the Dogs and whose family had Crows members tickets.

This was during a period of time when we actually would win at Footy Park, and boy were those days fun. Being a young kid, no one could say anything to me really - plus my mates dad was scary looking. The one time someone gave us lip, he handled it. But we'd sit there, wave flags, scream abuse and run amok.

Last time I went was last year, and the Dogs got killed. I was in the middle of the row, and I got up to leave early, bcos I was really heated and angry at the poor showing. As I got up and tried to move out, all the Crows supporters got really arky at me. I turned around and got really aggressive and I felt like a big man. Haha.... But in all honesty, it's a bit of ****s and giggles and I don't mind it. In fact, I probably enjoy the attention of wearing my Bulldogs cap and stirring up the other supporters.

[W W Biscuit]

Interstate games I have been to Perth, Syd and Adelaide & Canberra would return back to the first two and Canberra but Adelaide NEVER again, Ohhh my, the people we sat near did nothing but hurl insults at us because we wore the Bulldog colours I am basing this on two visits to Adelaide so it wasn't a one off - will never go there again unless god forbid we have a final there.

Agree wholeheartedly. I have been to Football Park once - in fact, the very first Crows vs Doggies fixture in 1991. I can still remember one guy with psychopathic eyes who turned around and growled at us like a caveman every time Adelaide scored a goal or won a free kick, and each time the Doggies made a skill error or sprayed the ball for a point. As we were soundly beaten on the night, he was doing this quite a lot. Only consolation is that he would have had a mighty sore neck the next morning.

[The Coon Dog]

Agree wholeheartedly. I have been to Football Park once - in fact, the very first Crows vs Doggies fixture in 1991. I can still remember one guy with psychopathic eyes who turned around and growled at us like a caveman every time Adelaide scored a goal or won a free kick, and each time the Doggies made a skill error or sprayed the ball for a point. As we were soundly beaten on the night, he was doing this quite a lot. Only consolation is that he would have had a mighty sore neck the next morning.
Wayne Weideman.

[bornadog]

My worst experience was in 2000 when we played Essendon at Telstra and the game was a sellout. I booked tickets on line and went on my own but found myself amongst the enemy. All I heard all night was sooking and carrying on about our tactics and how bad the umpire was. Essendon supporters are the biggest whingers in regards to everything that happens on the ground, particulalry umpiring decisions (closely followed by Collingwood), but I had the last laugh and found myself jumping up and down and punching the air when Grant kicked that goal. I was sitting on level two and right behind Granty when he swung around and kicked the winner.

[W W Biscuit]

Wayne Weideman.

Now there was one scarey dude. Wasn't he from Fish Creek, like our own Barry Standfield?

[GVGjr]

Now there was one scarey dude. Wasn't he from Fish Creek, like our own Barry Standfield?


He sure was. I'm fairly certain there was at least one other AFL player from Fish Creek as well.

[Twodogs]

He sure was. I'm fairly certain there was at least one other AFL player from Fish Creek as well.



I can think of two-Ian Dunstan and Gary Walpole.

[LostDoggy]

About 81 or 82 I went to Princes Park with my father and sat in the the old Gardiner stand Blues members only area.
We got flogged by 100+ point but Simon Beasley kicked 10 in the only shining light on the day. It felt weird how we were the only ones that cheered him.
It was the era of Val Perovic and the first "Woof" scared the bejesus out of me.

[Sockeye Salmon]

I used to live in Adelaide around the time the Crows started up. I went to a Crows - Dogs game with a few mates from the cricket club. 5 of us, 3 Crows fans, me and another ex-pat Victorian (Pies fan) who was going for the Dogs for the day.

We left with a police escort. They wanted to bash me and my Pies supporting mate jus because and they wanted to bash the other three for being "Vic ****ers".

I did see one of the most amazing things I've seen at the footy that day. A Dogs supporter, who was massive, had been copping plenty from the Crows cheersquad. He had enough, so he gets up out of his seat, walks into the middle of the cheersquad and starts throwing punches. He took about 5 down before the cops marched him off, arms raised, not a mark on him.

[The Coon Dog]

I can think of two-Ian Dunstan and Gary Walpole.
Wayne Weideman (Adelaide) was also from Fish Creek.

Oops, I should have read the 1st page before the 2nd.

[bornadog]

Was Sockeye Salmon from Fish Creek (he played for us in the 1970's)

[The Coon Dog]

Was Sockeye Salmon from Fish Creek (he played for us in the 1970's)
He was from Leongatha.

[bornadog]

He was from Leongatha.

Yes your right, what about Eppelstein

[LostDoggy]

Yes your right, what about Eppelstein

Wron Wron Woodside. The club he played for.

[alwaysadog]

He was from Leongatha.

Not only was he from Leongatha but he returned there and was a minder for the young Steve Wallis who played senior football for Leongatha while very young.

Interestingly there seems to be a strong connection between Leongatha and the Bulldogs; Brian Royal spent at least one year as coach of Leongatha before he came back as assistant coach under Wallywood, and during his time at Leongatha coached I think, a Bulldogs reserves game while the rest were interstate.