The Mighty West: The Bulldogs' Journey from Daydream Believers to Premiership Heroes

In 2016 the Western Bulldogs stunned the AFL world by winning the premiership – the club’s first in 62 years. It was an unprecedented rise to success, capped by a stunning grand final victory that left players and fans alike shedding tears of joy.

Just two years earlier the Dogs had been in chaos, without a captain or a coach. But under the leadership of Luke Beveridge, Robert Murphy and Easton Wood, and boasting a team filled with talented youngsters, the club came together in spectacular fashion, overcoming serious injuries and storming to the flag from seventh on the ladder.

The Mighty West chronicles the Bulldogs’ remarkable journey from cellar-dwellers to champions – a journey their fans shared every step of the way. It’s a story that goes beyond football, a tale of family and belonging, of western-suburbs tribalism, and of the romance of sport.

Kerrie Soraghan (@bulldogstragic) is a lifelong supporter of Footscray/Western Bulldogs. She is the author of Too Tough to Die, which documented the 1989 fundraising effort to save the Doggies from extinction, and she blogs as the Bulldog Tragician.