This Saturday the Western Bulldogs take on Essendon in the first of two home-and-away encounters with the Bombers scheduled for this season. The second of those will take place in July, but the Dogs’ focus for this week will be very much on their first 2025 meeting.

The Bulldogs have had some memorable late-season wins over Essendon, including an 87-point thrashing of the Dons in August 2015, an even bigger one four years later when the Dogs recorded their biggest-ever win over the red and black – 104 points, and, of course, the famous 2000 ‘Flood Match’ in which the Bulldogs inflicted Essendon’s only loss of an otherwise perfect season.

We’ll take a closer look at those games when the teams meet again in Round 20, but this week, Know Your History’s focus will be on some of the memorable games the Bulldogs have had against the Bombers in the early stages of past seasons.

These include Footscray’s very first VFL win over the Dons, which came 95 years ago last Saturday, in the second round of the 1930 season. The Bulldogs had come agonisingly close to beating Essendon before that. They fell short by under a goal in matches at Western Oval in 1926, 1928 and 1929. The respective margins in those matches were all heartbreaking – two points, four points and one point. The Dogs also had another narrow 1929 miss at Windy Hill, succumbing to the Dons by eight points after leading by 23 at three-quarter time.

When the Dons returned to Barkly Street in 1930, the Bulldogs were determined not to suffer any further heartbreak. They blew Essendon away with a blistering first quarter, kicking 6.3. In contrast, the Dons did not even trouble the scorers. Despite a better second quarter with the wind, Essendon was still 26 points behind at the long break and 28 points adrift heading into the final term.

The Dons eventually cut that back to 16 but the result was never in doubt. It was all the more impressive considering the Dogs did not have a single player who had played 80 or more VFL matches on the day. The Dons had five.

Forty-seven years later, in May 1977, the Bulldogs recorded its biggest win to that point over Essendon. The Dogs made the short trip to Windy Hill having won two and drawn one of its first five games that season. The Bombers had won two, but were favourites at their home ground.

By quarter time the game was going to script, with Essendon ahead by 11 points, but the Bulldogs took control in the second term, kicking seven goals to three to take a 17-point lead into half time. An equally strong third quarter followed, and by the last change of ends Footscray was 44 points clear. Any thoughts of a last-quarter comeback by the Bombers were quickly swept aside. The Dogs went on a goalkicking spree, adding 11 majors in the final term, with Essendon managing only two.

When the final siren sounded Footscray had racked up its then highest ever VFL score – 29.15.189. It remains the Dogs highest score against Essendon, and their second-highest overall (behind the 33.15.213 kicked against St Kilda in 1978). The Bombers finished on 13.11.89, making the Bulldogs’ winning margin an even 100 points, a record against the Bombers that lasted until 2019. The Bulldogs’ 29 goals were shared around, with full-forward Kelvin Templeton kicking five, Ray Huppatz and Ian Morrison each booting four. Two more Ians – Low and Dunstan – each booted three goals, as did rover Ray Huppatz and an 18-year-old Jim Edmond, playing just his fourth senior match.

A year after that thrashing of the Bombers, the Dogs enjoyed another great day against the red and black, this time back at the Kennel. The fun began in the curtain-raiser, in what remains one of footy’s strangest moments.

Late in the final quarter, with Footscray trailing Essendon by under goal, Bulldog veteran Peter Welsh (returning from injury via the reserves) grabbed a loose ball in the forward pocket at the Barkly Street end. Seeing a free teammate running towards goal, Welsh sent a long handpass in his direction. However, the handpass was delivered with such force the ball travelled across the goal line before his teammate could get a boot on it.

It was a seemingly disappointing outcome, because only a goal would put the Dogs ahead, and there was not much time left on the clock. But to the shock of everyone, and the utter disgust of the Essendon cheer squad seated directly behind him, the goal umpire raised both fingers, signalling a goal.

So far had Welsh’s handball travelled, the goal umpire must have assumed it was a kick. Whatever the case, the Bomber cheer squad erupted in rage while Bulldogs fans around them cheered and laughed, amazed at their team’s good fortune. The siren sounded soon after, the Dogs pulling off one of the more bizarre victories in the game’s history.

In a 2024 interview, Welsh confirmed that he had indeed handpassed a ‘goal’ that afternoon, and he also admitted that it was not the first time he had been awarded full points for a non-goal in the VFL. Recalling a 1973 match against North Melbourne at Arden St, Welsh said one of his four goals was a scrambled kick which deviated noticeably off Kangaroo defender David Dench's body. Noticeable to all except the goal umpire, it seems, who raised two fingers to signal a Footscray goal. It was an important decision – the game finished in a draw, 8.8.56 apiece.

Back at the Western Oval in 1978, there was more joy to come for Footscray fans (and pain for Bombers supporters) after Welsh gave the Dogs an unlikely reserves win. In the senior match that followed, Essendon dominated the first quarter and the early part of the second. Ten minutes into the second term, the Dons had a commanding 53-point lead.

From that moment, though, the Dogs edged their way back into the contest. The margin was back to 27 points by the long break, and it was 17 at the last end change. With an improbable win in sight, the Bulldogs took over completely in the final quarter, kicking 6.6 to 1.2 to record an amazing 17-point win, with Kelvin Templeton booting four goals.

Western Bulldogs fans will be hoping for win over the Bombers this Saturday night. And while any win is a good win, most Doggies will be hoping for one that unfolds more like Footscray’s 1977 win than the one in 1978!