■ Point Gellibrand Oval is one of the most identifiable and picturesque in sport in the west, but like the naughty child, when it is bad it is very bad, and boy was it bad on Sunday. A miserable, cold, wet and windy day was had by all who braved the home of the Seagulls. Williamstown and Sandringham tried hard, but even from the warmth of my lounge room it was not a sight to behold. What a shock it must have been to those St Kilda-listed players more accustomed to playing under the roof at Etihad Stadium. Mind you, it was a better game to watch than some of the AFL games played in pristine conditions. At least we saw some one-on-one contests. Willy created history by keeping Sandy goalless.
■ I can say with 100 per cent certainty that my recent ambivalence to the game has nothing to do with the current form of the Bulldogs. The boys are not going well and are most certainly not great to watch. I did like Bob Murphy’s analogy recently when he said words to the effect of “Winning the flag for Hawthorn or Geelong is like climbing a mountain – they look for another mountain, whereas for the Bulldogs it was like landing on the moon.” Like a lot of Bulldogs fans, for me it still seems like a dream. I suspect because it was so unexpected, many of us have still not really come to terms with it and maybe some of the players are the same. Are we all still basking in the glory of that win? I suspect we are, and even subconsciously it has affected the desperate need for success that was such a driving force for decades.
■ Port Melbourne Colts don’t play in the WRFL any more and while that still seems weird, it makes perfect sense – given their geographic location and junior recruiting area – that they play in the Southern Football League. Their history though will always be linked to the west, and no more so than in a few weeks when they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their senior and reserves 1998 premierships. It was a day of glory for the Des Tuddenham-coached Colts, defeating Spotswood in the seniors and Parkside in the reserves. Those historical moments will be celebrated with gusto on Saturday, July 21. See the club Facebook page.
■ Next week, I might have some Bulldogs insight from the Inside the Kennel show and news about a new podcast starring Merv Hughes.
