Sacred Heart Primary School teacher Daniel Boulton would love to see his beloved Western Bulldogs in a grand final live at the MCG.
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A Bulldogs supporter all his 32 years, he has seen the red, white and blue lose some preliminary finals and had resigned himself to the fact the club was destined to be unlucky.
“Ironically, in 2016 I was over in London so I missed out!” he told the Yarrawonga Chronicle.
“I was able to find an AFL party and watch it at 4am.” The Bulldogs beat Sydney 13.11.89 to 10.6.67.
“Now we are in it again and it’s over in Perth!” Year 5 teacher Mr Boulton said.
“Hopefully we get another chance over the next few years and it’s back at the G.
“My daughter Tilly and new-born son Henry will be cheering on this Saturday. We’ve even converted my wife Kim, from the Cats to the Dogs!”
Mr Boulton’s Dad emigrated to Australia from England in the 1960s and the family home was just down the road from Footscray’s Whitten Oval, named after the greatest footballer of all time Ted Whitten senior.
Parent of schoolchildren, Ben Lawless, has been barracking for the Demons his whole 42 years. “Dad was swayed into supporting them by his uncle Pat Connell from Burramine,” Ben explained.
“Pat has often apologised to him for that!
“I also grew up in the hometown of former Melbourne player Rodney Grinter. Being a Melbourne supporter hasn’t always been easy. We are the oldest club but have also endured a lot of pain - from nearly merging with the Hawks to the early deaths of players like club legends Jim Stynes, Sean White and Troy Broadbridge.”
Ben has watched Melbourne play in two grand finals. “Both of them were floggings,” he said.
“This year feels different. The emergence of young, exciting talent has us playing a strong brand and the supporters are starting to feel different; not always preparing for the worst as is often the case as a Melbourne supporter.
“I will be watching the game with my family either in person or on zoom cheering on the Dees and Yarrawonga local James Jordon, confident that this year is different and we can get the job done. Go the Dees!”
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