You could sense there was something brewing for Footscray from early on in Sunday’s VFL grand final at Etihad Stadium.
The Bulldogs were slightly the better side in a tense and spiteful first half against a physical Casey Scorpions, but their early ascendancy did not show on the scoreboard as they went into the change rooms a goal in arrears at half-time.
Photos: VFL Grand Final Casey v Footscray
What played out over the next 30 minutes left everyone gobsmacked.
Footscray erupted in the third quarter to wreak total and utter devastation to the Scorpions chances of winning the game.
The Bulldogs slipped into a zone, much like they had the week before in a 119-point drubbing over Collingwood in the preliminary final, where they were nigh on invincible.
It was a procession of attack for the Bulldogs at one stage – eight goals to nil for the third quarter.
Look a little closer and you find the Scorpions were not only held goal-less for the term, but they failed to trouble the scoreboard attendants at all.
It was a sight to behold for Footscray fans, as their side totally dominated at both ends with a 8.4 to 0.0 quarter against a Scorpions side that went into the game as favourites after finishing the season as minor premiers.
There would be no catching the Bulldogs from there, who had comfortable 46-point three quarter time lead.
The rampaging Dogs – which rattled off two emphatic finals wins after losing to the Scorpions by an embarrassing 70 points in week one of the finals – cruised to a third straight with a 31-point victory and claim their second VFL premiership in three seasons.
“I felt we were playing good footy in the first half, but I say that with reservation because we certainly weren’t finishing off our work,” Footscray coach Ashley Hansen said.
“Shots on goal, inside 50 entries, clearance work – we were playing the game the way we wanted to play it.
“We just had to make a little bit of an adjustment at half time, which to the boys credit, they turned it around, really turned it on and played the way we know we can.”
It was a startling reminder of how deep Footscray’s – and by extension, the Western Bulldogs – list runs.
The combination of youth and experience, AFL and VFL listed players, and returning Western Bulldogs, is a potent mix when all the ingredients come together.
Lin Jong, the midfielder who thought his season was over after breaking his collarbone 17 days earlier, was inspiring for teammates in a Norm Goss Medal winning performance.
At no stage did Jong flinch, no matter how much the Scorpions tested out his shoulder.
He just got on with the task, ran his guts out all game, winning centre clearances at will and throwing his body into the line of fire.
“Just a really special performance from a special player,” Hansen said.
“We saw how much the football club and playing in a finals series means to Lin.
“For him to perform how he did today is a testament to himself.
“I thought if we got a good contribution out of him, we would’ve been pretty happy, but for him to do what he did was remarkable.”
Jong was not alone in that dominant midfield.
Lukas Webb and Koby Stevens had the ball on a string.
Their cause was helped by the silver service provided by ruckmen Will Minson and Tom Campbell.
Will that be Minson’s last game in Bulldogs colours?
His extended salute to his adoring fans post game intimated that, though perhaps he was just lapping up the adulation a little more than the rest of the team.
Jed Adcock was unshakable, latching on to 12 tackles to go with 18 disposals and seven inside 50s.
An ever-present feature of Footscray’s 2016 premiership was its reliance on the VFL-listed players.
There have been rounds when the Bulldogs have scoured the local leagues for talent, at which times their VFL-listed players have gone to another level.
Nick Jamieson, who kicked three goals, Lauchlan Dalgleish, Anthony Barry, Alex Greenwood and Andrew Tasheski-Beckwith had a biggest impact of that group in the grand final, but the rest played their roles to perfection.
The rising young Bulldogs – Bailey Dale, Brad Lynch, Bailey Williams, Mitch Honeychurch and Roarke Smith – offered fans at the top level a glimpse into the future – and it looks bright.
This is a Bulldogs side built on team work and an understanding and adherence to a system, and on those two accounts, they could not be faulted.
“It’s a young group of players who are playing for one another and want to get better and are driving standards and want to win,” Hansen said.
“When you’ve got that mix, it’s really easy to coach.”
2016 VFL grand final
Footscray Bulldogs 13.19 (97) d Casey Scorpions 10.6 (66)
Footscray Bulldogs – Goals: Jamieson 3, Long 2, Campbell 2, Dale, Nash, Lynch, Williams, Hannan, Tashevski-Beckwith. Best: Jong, Stevens, Webb, Russell, Jamieson, Adcock.
Casey Scorpions – Goals: T Smith 3, Weideman 2, Hulett, Trengove, Newton, Scott, White. Best: Oliver, T Smith, Dunn, J Smith, Kennedy, Newton.
Crowd: 17,348 at Etihad Stadium.
