Bulldogs and Blues - An Unlikley Final-Day Rivalrly

Of the 17 clubs that the Western Bulldogs face off against at least once every season, there are three that the club have never faced in a final. Ever. Despite this being the club’s 100th season in the V/AFL.

One of those three clubs are the Gold Coast Suns, who are still waiting for their first taste of September. The second club is Richmond, although there’s rarely been an opportunity for the planets to align on that front; the two have been involved in the same finals series just seven times, although three of those seasons occurred within a four-year patch from 2019-2022.

The third club is Carlton, although that could change this year if certain results go a certain way. Despite Carlton establishing itself as one of the most successful clubs in league history, opportunities for the Bulldogs to face them in a final were particularly rare for many decades in the previous century. From when the Bulldogs (then Footscray) entered the league in 1925 until 1993, the two clubs featured in the same finals series just three times in 59 seasons.

Given the lack of finals matchups between the two clubs, you wouldn’t expect much history to exist between them when it comes to September. But their paths have crossed a surprising number of times in the final round of the season, the results of which have had direct ramifications on their respective finals ambitions. So let’s take a closer look at the storied history between these two clubs when it comes to September.

Carlton v Footscray, Princes Park, Round 18, 1944

Carlton were fourth. Footscray were fifth. The equation was simple: the loser misses finals and the winner takes their place.

The issue for Footscray was that they needed to claim the four points at Princes Park; a venue they hadn’t won at in 13 years, and Carlton had lost at home just once all season.

Inaccurate but undeterred, the plucky Bulldogs stuck at their task all day, rarely letting Carlton kick clear. However, they still found themselves seven points down heading into time-on.

But fate intervened. Sharpshooter Bill Wood intercepted a kick-in to draw the margin to a point. Shortly after, Joe Ryan levelled the scores with a behind.

With just seconds left, Footscray charged forward and the ball landed in the lap of Harry Hickey. Shortly after, the siren sounded and the umpire signalled full-time. Rumour has it that the siren had sounded well before Hickey took the mark and that the raucous Carlton crowd prevented the umpire from hearing the ball. Regardless, Hickey was allowed to take the kick.

Sensing he was too far out to take the kick with a regulation drop punt, Hickey opted to go for goal with a torpedo punt instead. Hickey almost kicked the ball into the man of the mark such was his intent to get as close to goal as possible, but the ball got past and sailed wide for a minor score, enough to secure not only victory for Footscray but also passage to the finals, all at the expense of the opposition.

Carlton: 13.10.88

Footscray: 12.17.89 

Footscray v Carlton, Western Oval, Round 20, 1945

The two sides would meet at the end of the following season as well, although this time it was Carlton who were looking to leapfrog Footscray. North Melbourne were in 4th spot, sandwiched either side of Footscray (3rd) and Carlton (5), but a Blues win would get them into the Final Four.

However, the two sides couldn’t have entered the match in more contrasting runs of form. Footscray had faltered badly after a strong start to the season, losing five of their previous six games, while Carlton were flying, with nine wins in their last 10 games. 

The form of both sides would eventually prove indicative of how the result turned. A seven-goal-to-two opening term from the Blues set the tone for a comfortable win, ultimately securing victory over a Footscray side that never really challenged. That form would continue to hold for Carlton, who went on to win the 1944 Premiership.

Footscray: 8.14.62

Carlton: 16.19.115

Footscray v Carlton, Western Oval, Round 18, 1956

Barely a decade after consecutive final-round contests, the Bulldogs and the Blues faced off again in the final round, and yet again it was a “win and you’re in” showdown.

Heading into the game, Carlton were placed in 4th spot, just half a game clear of Footscray. With the other three spots on the ladder already sewn up, only one of the two could make it through.

Just under 45,000 turned out for Princes Park, and they were treated to a great struggle between the two sides. In three of the four quarters, both sides managed two goals each for the term, but it was the second term that proved to be decisive, with Footscray booting two goals to none, and keeping Carlton at arm’s length for the entire second half. In a low-scoring affair, Footscray’s main forwards Jack Collins and Max Cross played a crucial hand, combining for five goals, and helping propel Footscray to their first finals campaign since their 1954 Premiership triumph.

Carlton: 6.9.45

Footscray: 8.14.62

Carlton v Footscray, Princes Park, Round 22, 1976

Footscray spent most of the 1960s and 70s struggling down the lower reaches of the ladder, but an opportunity to return to September action came their way late in the 1976 season.

Sitting in fifth spot (the VFL operated under the Final Five system then) heading into the final round of the season, all Footscray had to do was avoid defeat to Carlton, and they would secure a safe passage into the finals. The Bulldogs were sitting half a game clear of Melbourne, but with the Demons accounting for bottom-placed Collingwood, and holding a superior percentage, the Bulldogs needed to clear of Melbourne on points, otherwise they would be overtaken.

At a venue that they had not won at in 12 years, Footscray went into three-quarter time holding a 22-point advantage over the ladder leaders, who had also won their last nine games straight. As expected, Carlton fought back and trimmed the margin down to just three points heading into time-on.

The Blues continued to pepper away at the goals, but their last three scores yielded just three behinds; the last of which was a goal-bound effort that was only denied courtesy of a last-ditch spoil on the line from Bernie Quinlan. The final siren sounded with the scores tied. The two Premiership Points gained from the draw were enough to keep Footscray clear of Melbourne, and secure passage into the finals.

Carlton: 15.17.107

Footscray: 15.17.107

Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs & Carlton v Collingwood, Round 23, 2022

The final-day rivalry died down for several decades, but when it returned, it made up for it with arguably one of the most dramatic finishes to a home-and-away season in league history.

Heading into the final day of the home-and-away season, Carlton sat in 8th spot with a percentage of 108.8, while the Western Bulldogs sat in 9th place with a percentage of 107.9.

The equation for the Western Bulldogs was two-fold: they first needed to defeat Hawthorn in Tasmania, and then hope that Collingwood would beat Carlton later in the day. If either of those results failed to transpire, then Carlton would go through.

In an early Sunday kickoff that failed to reach any great heights, the Bulldogs eventually took care of a plucky Hawthorn outfit, to secure victory by 23 points. For now, the Bulldogs were in the eight.

Immediately after the conclusion of the match, all eyes turned to the MCG. The subplot to all of this was that the latest chapter in one of the most storied rivalries in the game was about to submitted, and it was Collingwood who got the jump of the Blues early, keeping Carlton to just two goals to half-time, and took a 19-point lead heading into the main break, with the Bulldogs still clinging to 8th spot.

But Carlton went on a tear in the third term, blitzing the Magpies in an 8-goal-to-1 term, running rampant and catapulting themselves back into 8th spot. Carlton had all the momentum, and it looked certain that they would carry that into September, as they turned for home with a 24-point lead at three-quarter time.

But across the 2022 season, Collingwood had become notorious for its ability to reign the opposition in and just fall over the line late in games, and it had one final Great Escape up its sleeve.

Approaching the 20-minute mark of the final term, Carlton still held a 17-point lead, but goals to Jamie Elliott, Beau McCreery, and then Elliott gain (with 1:45 left on the clock) saw the Magpies snatch the lead from Carlton. The magnets for 8th and 9th switched again, with the Bulldogs overtaking Carlton; the two clubs level on 12 wins each, but the Bulldogs holding an advantage of just 0.6%.

Even a draw would have been enough for Carlton, echoing shades of 1976, but they failed to manage that elusive point. Collingwood held on for a one-point win and, combined with the feat of knocking their fierce rivals out of the finals in the process, making it one of their more satisfying wins in recent history.

Hawthorn: 10.4.64

Western Bulldogs: 12.15.87

Carlton: 10.14.74

Collingwood: 11.9.75

Carlton v GWS, Marvel Stadium Round 24, 2023

One year later, the Western Bulldogs were again relying on a Carlton result to lock themselves in September action. However this time, they needed a Carlton victory.

Having defeated Geelong the night prior, the Bulldogs entered the final day of the season in 8th place, having leapfrogged the GWS Giants. With the Giants due to play the very last game of the season against Carlton, all the Giants needed to do was secure a result against the fifth-placed Blues, and they would book their ticket into September.

With scores level early in the second half, the Giants kicked away with four goals in eight third-term minutes, taking a 26-point lead into the final term. Unlike last year, however, there would be no late miracles this time around, with the Giants staving off any potential Blues challenge, and going through to September at the Bulldogs’ expense.

Carlton: 11.7.73

GWS Giants: 16.9.105