Why the Bulldogs?

[Dog4life77]

I was born in Revesby, I win.

Same..
Lived on Bransgrove Rd til I was 10..around 87ish

 

[D.O.W.]

Grew up in Revesby, turned on the TV as a 5yo one afternoon and as fate would have it, caught the tail end of the 84 Grand Final where Steve Mortimer received the Winfield Cup off Bob Hawke thinking it’s pretty cool.

 

[dogon]

LJ is my favourite Canterbury player of all time. I feel sorry for those in our fan base who never saw how great he played. Forced the Australian selectors to put Langlands (an immortal) in the centres to get them both in the team. I think of the potential carnage to our opponents had LJ played in the same team as Turvey and Baa.

You are so right, the great Johnny Raper once said after a Canterbury vs Saints game that the artistry displayed by Les Johns had to be seen to be believed, he said Johns beat Saints on his own. Many years later I met Johns when Greg Fleming was the Dog's fullback & he was so humble saying both were similar fullbacks.

 

[Papa Emeritus]

My Dad was English, no idea why he supported the Dogs (we initially lived in Richmond and then Beverley Hills, neither are dogs areas although Bevo isn't far) but he did and he used to take me to games at Belmore. I don't remember watching the games really but I loved playing on the hill.

I had a friend who was a Tigers fan and I liked a lot of their players like Garry Jack and Siro, but I also liked the Magpies due to their colours. So it could have gone one of 3 ways and somehow the Bulldogs thing just stuck.

 

[gee333]

Great reading all these posts, especially those with older memories to tell, from the 50s and 60s. My dad was off the boat from Lebanon in 60s and somehow fell in love with footy. Lived in the area, married my mum who was as Anglo as they came. I was born in 75, Canterbury Hospital. Lived 5 years in Gould St Campsie and he would take me to games as a toddler. Belmore is a place where many of my childhood memories exist. Moved to Punchbowl when I was 5 and started school at Greenacre Public in 1981. I played for the school, we wore blue and white. Our arch enemies were Bankstown Public who wore Blue and Gold and funnily enough many of the kids were eels fans. We hated each other and in year 5, somehow, we played our GF at Belmore Sports Ground. Running out onto that field... man... no words... Baa and I think Farrar were there to give us our penants. Then Punchbowl Boys from 1988. In those years Baa worked for the council mowing lawns. He did the grass outside our school and every single boy stood along the fence hearing him on, copping stones and dust in the face but we didn't care. He was our God. Outside the normal family and work, commitments, this club, the teams, the fans have been my passion and one constant presence ad life has changed and grown. I find it hard to support other sports and teams with the same dedication (I.e. Spurs in the EPL) as my sole passion is this club. Praying we all get to feel some pride and passion back in our jersey in 2022. Loveyoosall!!!!!

 

[Papa Joe]

It was way back in 1980, when many of my hundreds of cousins were all trying to influence me into following the team that they followed.

Most of them back then were Souths & St George Supporters, with the remainder going for the Roosters, Eels, Balmain & a sprinkling of Manly fans.

The whirlwind of endless pressure was enough to convince me that they can all go & get stuffed, as the decision was made to choose my own team.

The next problem I had was to decide how I was to reach my life changing decision at the ripe old age of 5 years.

Living in the country, I had no ties to any Sydney region although my extended family in Sydney all lived in and around Fairfield.

I also previously lived in Canberra but the Raiders weren't formed until 1982.

I then thought of relating my decision back to my favourite colours which were also based previously on the only other team I new to support.

The mighty Azzuri.

As a first generation Aussie born to Italian Parents, Supporting the Italian National Football team was everything.

So many early mornings with family gatherings based sitting around the TV and yelling at the top of our lungs in support of the Azzuri. I'm sure the neighbours weren't impressed.

My sporting colours were stamped on my heart from the moment I was born, It was gonna be "Blue White & Me" forever.

Picking the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs was a decision made even sweeter by the fact that none of those pushing for my support went for the Bulldogs, they were my team.

A few years later when my parents decided to move further into the abyss in a town of a thousand people (All Aussies), Dad new that somehow he needed to try & get the other kids to accept us rather than continue to give us daily racial abuse, so he took us to play Rugby League & what you know.... the local football teams colours were Blue & White.

Because of the local teams colours alot of the kids and locals also supported the Bulldogs which also helped break the ice in building relationships which was great.

I fell in love with game, and as time went on most of the kids did get better with us... It took a long time though, and unfortunately some people will never change.

Thankfully though Rugby League and The Bulldogs got me through some of the toughest days of my life & for that I will be forever grateful.

What a great decision supporting the Bulldogs turned out to be..... 12 Grand Finals & 6 Premierships


"BLUE WHITE & ME WE ARE JUST MEANT TO BE".

 

[NovaScotiaDog]

Many thanks to you all for your great posts it has stirred memories long since forgotten and can’t tell you how much this means to me.

 

[Freakzilla]

Was 5 and it was the 1985 GF. Best mate was a Dragons supporter and was talking all week about the game. I had never watched a game before. Asked dad about it and he said he supports the Bulldogs. Friend comes over to watch the game and I sided with dad. Bulldogs won and I celebrated. Dragons lost and mate cried. Since then the Bulldogs have been my team and the Dragons my most hated team.

 

[bulldogsmyte]

Steve Mortimer and the Entertainers of the mid to late 70's to the early 80's. Stuck with the Dogs ever since.

 

[N4TE]

Grew up in Riverwood the Punchbowl side liked Dogs liked footy because of Dad liked the colour blue. I remember and if you mention it to my old man he gets shady and will lie to you but I remember my Dad liked St George or telling me he liked them but he grew up in the dominant Dragons era but to his surprise and I think joy as a 4 year old I liked the Bulldog team I think that’s my favourite part of the Dogs story for me is my father supported his son and is now the biggest and I won’t say my age but has been going for the Dogs as long as he can remember now. From getting crazy calls from him when we won in 2004 and then the phone cutting out because him and a bunch of mates fell off a table at the Leagues club they were jumping on to him and I giving each other Bulldogs presents every year to watching many many games together live and on TV to him telling me to pull me head in when I crack the shits when we lose to him being known as Bulldogs John at his local Bowling club he plays at. Bulldog for life.

 

[_BT_]

Live in Tasmania now, but grew up in Dulwich Hill (Dully). I've supported the bulldogs since 1980, watched the grand final on TV, Steve Gearin's amazing try. My first game I went to was at Belmore, on a dark and gloomy day against the Magpies. Watching Greg Brentnall that day catch and punt the ball is the only real memory I have of it. But he soon became my favourite player I tried to emulate on the Dully school footy team, I loved that jersey then played for Marrickville RSL and trained at Marrickville Oval and or Henson Park. Good memories.

 

[repolski]

I also grew up in campsie and the first match I remember watching was the 79 grand final on tv. I was 7 but recall I was very upset with the referee and on the verge of tears when we lost. The 1980 grand Final was pure joy and lots of people in our street had ribbons and balloons displayed. My uncle would take me to games at belmore. And when we moved to Beverly Hills I was wearing bulldogs gear and the old neighbour said ‘this is stgeorge area son, you need to go for the dragons’ to which I responded ‘no way, I’m a bulldog’.

 

[capt obvious]

A lot of cool memories there, great to read others , most of us were lucky to grow up in that area when we played at belmore, i doubt those days will ever be matched again, but wish it could.

 

[John Matrix]

Picked the Dogs as my club in the late 90's as I was never really into RL prior to that, I gravitated to the Dogs due to refusing to support the tigers even though they train in my suburb. My BIL is a Dogs fan and he got me into watching RL so I followed suit.

Can never see myself supporting another Team, its Dogs or nothing.