The Western Bulldogs (aka the Footscray Football Club) are sitting on top of the AFL ladder after round 5, undefeated and with a huge percentage (thanks to recent matches against current easy beat teams like North Melbourne and the Gold Coast).
Commentators are saying that this is the best start to a season the Bulldogs have had since 1946.
This piqued my curiosity, so I looked up the 1946 VFL season (NB for any non-Australians who might read my blog, the VFL did not become the AFL til 1990), particularly as our first premiership did not occur til 1954.
For the record, in 1946 the Footscray Football Club won the first 9 matches in a 19 round season, and then another 4 out of the remaining 10 to finish third on the ladder with 13 wins. They then lost the semi final to Melbourne and ended the season fourth.
So, whilst it is amazing to see my team make the sort of start to the season which I have not seen in my entire lifetime (I think our best start was 1985, and that is still the only year where we beat each team in the league at least once), I am more interested in the spirit of 2016 (our amazing 4 finals in a row march to premiership glory) than the spirit of 1946.
But so far, we are looking good, and whilst I am not pencilling in what I am doing on Grand Final day yet (I probably would just watch it at a pub this time and let some other supporter go to the match instead), I am quietly hopeful that this might again be our year.
That is what Footscray supporters do – we quietly hope.
Lost For Words! 