Of the 80,897 spectators crammed into the MCG on grand final day, 1954, Hugh Buggy of Melbourne’s The Argus newspaper, wrote that at least 70,000 of them were cheering for the Bulldogs.

Not many of them, though, would have risked a stint in jail to get to the ground that day, but that’s exactly what premiership player Don Ross did.

The then 20-year-old centreman was in the army at the time, based in Pukapunyal, and had to go AWOL just to play.

“I didn’t have any leave," Ross told Channel 9 from his property in Jindera, near Albury.

“So I had to jump the fence and come down to Melbourne to play in the grand final and then go back to the army again.”

The then 20-year-old starred that day, collecting 20 disposals, getting the best of Melbourne’s Ken Melville and helping lead Footscray to their first and only premiership.

Ross would go on to play 129 games for the ‘Scray between 1952 and 1958, winning the Club’s best and fairest in 1956, the same year teammate Peter Box became won the Brownlow Medal.

But winning the premiership that season proved to be the easy part, getting back to the rooms to celebrate was the challenge.

“I went back to the club rooms and couldn’t get in, there were that many people, so I just went back to a friend’s place, had a cup of tea and went back to the army.”

For the record, the now 83-year-old is confident the 2016 Bulldogs can go all the way.

“I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see it, but I’m going to get there, I think.”