FORMER Rebels coach Chris Maple has led a relaunched Footscray Bulldogs team to a premiership in the club’s return to the Victorian Football League.
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In an added Ballarat flair, dual North Ballarat Roosters premiership player Brett Goodes was awarded the Norm Goss Medal for best on ground in the grand final on Sunday.
Goodes’ experience shone with a 30-plus possession game at Etihad Stadium. The Bulldogs trailed by one goal at the final break and powered to a 22-point win against defending premier, the Hawthorn-aligned Box Hill Hawks.
Maple is in his debut season as a VFL coach. He joined the Bulldogs as a development coach, leaving the Rebels after the 2008 season.
This was his fifth grand final though – Maple coached Buninyong to three title matches and won the 2002 Central Highlands flag, and led Tatyoon to a Mininera grand final.
Maple said this had been a remarkable season for his Bulldogs.
When the club had decided to stand alone in the VFL, breaking an alliance with Williamstown, it was not even sure it would be able to field a side.
Maple built a VFL list primarily from western suburbs talent to complement Western Bulldogs’ AFL list. “To do what we have done is pretty special – words can’t describe how I am feeling,” Maple said.
“We know we are going in the right direction and the Bulldogs’ style of play stands up in finals footy. The Doggies’ supporters have come out in their droves and to have footy back at Whitten Oval – we’re all excited about that.
“I think the community has backed us and obviously there’s not a heap of silverware in the cupboard, so we want to change that in the future.”
The Bulldogs and Hawks, still flying from a tight AFL preliminary final on Saturday, drew the VFL’s largest crowd in 25 years – 23,816.
Crowds that Maple’s Bulldogs have pulled to the Whitten Oval have been strong this season too, with old club chants revived.
For the success-starved Bulldogs, the premiership was billed as a long-awaited three-peat.
The Bulldogs won back-to-back flags in 1923-24, the last time they were in the VFA (now VFL) before joining the AFL, and made clear on their banner pre-match they had returned to claim what was theirs.
Goodes will hope his brother Adam can complete a family three-peat of sorts too, with Sydney Swans in the AFL grand final.
Brother Jake won a flag with Horsham District Football Netball League side Swifts last week.