Who are the Western Bulldogs?
The Western Bulldogs are an AFL club from Melbourne's western suburbs, known as Footscray until 1996. In 2016 they won a famous premiership, ending a drought that had lasted since 1954.
The club was founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club and joined the Victorian Football League in 1925. Its colors are red, white and blue.
Footscray won its first VFL premiership in 1954 under captain-coach Charlie Sutton. The club then went 62 years without another flag, often struggling financially and on the field.
The 2016 fairytale
In 2016, coached by Luke Beveridge, the Bulldogs finished seventh on the ladder but won four finals in a row, defeating the Sydney Swans in the Grand Final. It was the first time a team won the premiership from seventh place.
Beveridge famously gave his coach's medal to injured captain Bob Murphy, who had missed the season due to a knee injury. The moment became one of the most emotional in AFL history.
The Bulldogs' most famous player is Ted Whitten, known as Mr Football. The club's traditional home, Whitten Oval, is named after him. The club also won the 2018 AFL Women's premiership.
Did You Know?
Marcus Bontempelli, the Bulldogs' captain, is one of the AFL's most admired players.