Vote for your most memorable moment

Over many years Whitten Oval has been the spiritual home of the Footscray Football Club/Western Bulldogs and has seen many a great player grace the hallowed turf.
 
Now Whitten Oval is a world class facility for our current players and a vibrant community hub for all people of the west.
You are invited to join us to celebrate the proud history of this iconic ground at a gala dinner “Superstars of Whitten Oval” at Crown Palladium on Saturday 18 June 2011.

At this event, we will count down the Top 10 Memorable Moments, as voted by you.  So place your vote below and purchase your ticket/s for what is set to be a unforgettable evening.

To book your tickets, click here.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS
   
First home game / First VFL win in 1925
Rd 2, 1925- Footscray recorded its first victory in the VFL competition by beating South Melbourne 10-10-70 to 8-12-60 in its first home game at the Western Oval. This win was the last of an amazing run of 49 consecutive home game victories that began in the VFA in August, 1919...Vote for this moment

Army takes over Western Oval
1942 season- Footscray pack up and leave the Western Oval and play their home games at Yarraville during the 1942 season (5 wins from 7 games), leaving the oval free for soldiers on the way to the battles of New Guinea during World War Two... Vote for this moment

Bill Wood’s sensational debut
Rd 3, 1944- Bill Wood kicked nine goals on debut in Footscray’s eight-point win over Collingwood. Wood kicked 51 goals from 15 games in his first season with the Bulldogs...Vote for this moment


Highest score
Rd 18, 1946- Footscray kicked their highest score to date, 23-27-165, in its huge 112-point win over Hawthorn. Three players shared the bulk of the goals- half-forward Alan Collins bagged nine goals, Jim Thoms kicked six goals seven behinds and Norm Ware scored six goals four behinds...Vote for this moment


Bill Scanlan’s game
Rd 11, 1951- Unofficial records indicate centre half-back, Bill Scanlan, took between 20-28 marks including 10 in the last quarter. Despite Scanlan’s individual brilliance it wasn’t enough to prevent an Essendon victory...Vote for this moment


The Fitzroy ‘flood’ match of 1953
Rd 5, 1953- Footscray faced up to Fitzroy in some of the most bizarre circumstances ever seen on a football ground. The Western Oval was awash with pools of water a foot deep in places, after a deluge of rain had blocked drains causing the playing surface to be partly submerged - some blamed the blocked drains on the curators.

In one of the more extraordinary scoreline’s, Footscray ran out winners 10-6-66 to Fitzroy’s solitary 1-0-6, the lowest score kicked that century. The ‘Roy’s only goal came from a fluke kick by Alan Ruthven late in the game. One of oval’s curators at the time was a young fellow by the name of Ted Whitten...Vote for this moment


Unfurling of the Flag
Rd 2, 1955- One of the biggest crowds ever at the Western Oval watched Mrs Grobbecker, wife of the club president, unfurl the premiership pennant of 1954. Players of Footscray and Richmond and its officials and umpires formed a square guard of honour in front of the flag prior to the game. In a scintillating display, Footscray kicked 7-5 to 0-2 in the opening quarter to set up a comfortable victory. Champion full-forward, Jack Collins, bagged eight goals...Vote for this moment
 

Record Crowd
Rd 12, 1955- A record crowd of 42,354 crammed into the Western Oval to watch the reigning premiers Footscray defeat the 1953 premiers, Collingwood in a low scoring affair, 5-13-43 to 5-7-37...Vote for this moment


Whitten’s last game
Rd 5, 1970- In driving rain, Ted Whitten leads his charges to a memorable 3 point over Hawthorn in his 321st and last game, a then VFL record. His ¾ time address to the players was captured by TV and immortalized in football folklore. Whitten would later say, “I cried, but you couldn’t tell because it was raining"...Vote for this moment


The Neil Sachse incident
Rd 2, 1975- Playing in only his second VFL game for Footscray, boom North Adelaide recruit, Neil Sachse, became a quadriplegic as a result of injuries sustained when he fell into the path of Fitzroy's Kerry O'Keefe. It was heartbreak all around and even more so for coach Bob Rose. His son and former bulldog, Robert Rose, suffered a similar crippling fate after being involved in a car accident the previous year...Vote for this moment


Bulldogs deny Carlton Finals spot
Rd 22, 1977- Footscray, with ruckman, Gary Dempsey dominant, led all day to deny Carlton a spot in the 1977 finals series. It was the Bulldogs’ fifth win in its last seven games. South Melbourne replaced Carlton in the five when it came from 4 goals down in the last quarter to topple the Kangaroo’s at Arden Street...Vote for this moment


VFL Record score
Rd 13, 1978- Kelvin Templeton kicked a club record 15 goals 9 behinds as Footscray set a new VFL record highest score in defeating St Kilda by 107 points, 33-15-213 to 16-10-106. Ian Dunstan also finished the day with a career high of 7 goals. Pandemonium reached fever pitch in the last quarter when fans invaded the ground on several occasions as the Bulldogs, and Templeton in particular, went on a goal-kicking rampage. Even coach Don McKenzie could be seen on the ground giving advice to his players. It was a true red-letter day for the Doggies...Vote for this moment


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