Know Your History: Round 2 v Collingwood

Rohan Smith celebrates a goal during the 2006 First Elimination Final against Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (Photo: GSP Images).

This Friday night’s game against Collingwood at the MCG will be a marquee fixture in the Western Bulldogs/Footscray’s celebration of 100 years in the VFL/AFL, and there’s been no shortage of Bulldog highlights in matches against the Pies over the past century.

The Dogs have enjoyed considerable success against Collingwood in recent seasons, winning three of the past four encounters. And at the MCG, the Bulldogs and the Magpies have met three times over the past decade, with the Sons of the West victorious in all three.

The first of those was in the premiership year of 2016, while the other two featured a pair of ‘Collingwood quirks’.

Travis Cloke made his debut as a Bulldog against his old side in the opening round of 2017, and he provided the game’s memorable pantomime moment. Late in the first quarter Cloke marked and had a set shot at goal from a long way out. As he walked in to take his kick, he was good-naturedly booed by his previously adoring Magpie fans. Cloke’s booming kick split the posts and the Dogs went on to win the match by 14 points.

Travis Cloke of the Bulldogs celebrates his first goal against his former side. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media)

Four years later, the two sides met again at the MCG in Round 1, with another former Pie – Adam Treloar – playing his first game for the Dogs. Treloar overcame a slow start to the match to help the Dogs to a 16-point win.

Another MCG highlight came in 1990, when Footscray held off a fast-finishing Collingwood to claim a thrilling victory. The Dogs led by 28 points at three-quarter time but lost the lead late in the final term after a blistering burst from the Magpies.

Enter 20-year-old Steven Kolyniuk, playing only his 27th AFL game. After marking on the Dogs’ half-forward line, Kolyniuk took on the man on the mark Graham Wright, bounced once before crossing the 50-metre arc and then bounced again before kicking truly from an angle while at full speed. The goal brought Bulldogs fans to their feet and secured a memorable three-point win against the team that went on to win that season’s premiership.

Steve Kolyniuk of the Footscray Bulldogs in action during the 1995 AFL season. (Photo: GSP Images)

Not all of the Bulldogs’ great moments against Collingwood have come at the MCG, though. One of the most memorable came at Whitten Oval in 1984. With Collingwood holding on to a slender led, Magpie Graeme Allan was awarded a free kick deep in the Doggies’ forward pocket. Bulldogs full forward Simon Beasley was awake to Allan’s attempted pass across goal to a teammate, and intercepted the kick. From the mark, Beasley kicked truly to put the Dogs five points ahead. The siren sounded moments later, and Whitten Oval erupted in ecstasy.

The only match of the 162 between the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood to end in a draw was a notable one for current Dogs coach Luke Beveridge. That match came in 1995 when the Dogs and Pies finished locked together on 10.11.71 at Waverley. Beveridge, then aged 24, was one of the Dogs’ goalkickers that day.

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The match was the 67th of Bevo’s 118-game AFL playing career, and he has now coached 231 League games, which means that Friday night’s game against Collingwood will be his 350th AFL match as player or coach. Remarkably, that game in 1995 is the only one of those 350 that has ended in a draw!

MORE MAGNIFICENT MOMENTS AGAINST THE MAGPIES

Bulldogs v Magpies matches have provided many other highlights over the past 100 years, including:

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