As part of our celebrations to mark a century since the Bulldogs joined the VFL/AFL, we have convened an expert panel to select the 25 Greatest Bulldogs of the past 100 years.
The Greatest Bulldogs are those who have represented the club with irrefutable distinction on the field and made the most considerable positive impact on the Club's history.
Players of exceptional ability who have achieved some of the game's greatest accolades, they have also made the Club what it is today, setting standards we will always aspire to, embodying the Bulldogs spirit and inspiring our community to dream big and stand proud.
The list is unranked but a Top 5 has been selected which will be revealed at the Club’s Centenary Gala on Monday 21 July.
Tickets to the event are now sold out, but the event will be available to be livestreamed on the Club website and app on Monday night.
All 25 players will be immortalised in a Jamie Cooper painting that will be unveiled at the Charles Sutton Medal awards night on 1 October.
Today we reveal the selected players who debuted in the red, white and blue between 1925 and 1945.
Allan Hopkins
Years played: 1923-24 (VFA), 1925-34 (VFL)
Games: 170 (VFA 19, VFL 151)
Goals: 242 (VFA 37, VFL 205)
Best & Fairest: 1931
Premiership: 1924 (VFA)
State games: 17+
Brownlow Medal: 1930 (joint)
Brownlow votes: 62*
Leading Goalkicker: 1925 (40), =1926 (42)
Captain/Coach: 1930, Captain: part 1926, part 1929
Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee: 1996
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Centre
Allan Hopkins was Footscray’s first superstar, a brilliant half-forward and centreman who had an amazing record in the Brownlow Medal.
Hopkins finished second in the Medal in 1929 and 1931, lost on a countback in 1930 and was fourth in 1934. In recognition of his outstanding record, the VFL awarded him an illuminated address, the first and only time in history. When the countback system was abolished in 1989, Hopkins was retrospectively awarded a Brownlow Medal for the 1930 season, a year in which he was captain-coach.
In all, Hopkins played 151 games for 205 goals in the VFL and a further 19 games for 37 goals in the VFA for his beloved Bulldogs.
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Alby Morrison
Years played: 1928–38, 1941–42, 1946
Games: 224 (3 finals)
Goals: 369
Best & Fairest Top 4 finishes: 2
State games: 14
Brownlow Top 10 finishes: 2 (1933, 1936)
Brownlow votes: 70+
Leading Goalkicker: 5 (1928, 29, 30, 31, 34)
Coach: Part 1934, part 1935, Captain: Part 1934, 1935, 1937
Club Awards: Most Improved (1928, 1929), Most Unselfish (1931)
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Half-Forward Flank
With his versatility, flair and unwavering drive, Alby Morrison carved out a career that still echoes through Bulldogs folklore. A tall, skillful utility from Kingsville, he debuted in 1928 and made an instant impression, leading the Club’s goalkicking in his first season, the first of five such honours. His 369 goals across 224 games stood as a Club record for an extended period.
Equally adept across multiple lines, Morrison progressed from a dangerous half-forward to a composed defender and was a natural leader — captaining the side in 1934, 1935 and 1937, while also coaching parts of two seasons.
A footballer of rare consistency, he polled over 70 Brownlow votes, with top-10 finishes in 1933 and 1936, and placed top four in the Best and Fairest on two occasions. Representing Victoria 14 times, he also featured in three finals and was named on the half-forward flank in the Bulldogs’ Team of the Century.
Twice awarded Most Improved and winner of the Most Unselfish Player in 1931, Morrison had it all — poise, persistence, adaptability and heart. Whether in attack, defence or the coach’s box, he was the embodiment of a Bulldog through and through.
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Norm Ware
Years played: 1932-42, 1944-46
Games: 200 (3 finals)
Goals: 220
Best & Fairest: 5 (1934, 1937, 1938, 1940, =1941), Runner-up: 1942
State games: 11
Brownlow Medal: 1941
Brownlow votes: 130
Captain: 1940, Captain/Coach: 1941-42
Leading Goalkicker: 1942 (51 goals)
Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee: 2001
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Interchange
Norm Ware was one of the most outstanding ruckman of his era. Originally from Sale, he was exceptionally mobile for his height and a great mark around the ground. He had a penchant for going forward as evidenced by the 52 goals he kicked in 1942, making him the Club's leading goalkicker for the season.
War service interrupted the latter years of his career, but he still managed to produce outstanding football. In his only game of 1945 he kicked six goals, and in his 200th and last game in the 1946 first semi-final, he kicked four goals to end his career with 220 goals, a fine achievement for a ruckman.
Norm Ware was named in the Bulldogs Team of the Century, had a bay of the Whitten stand named after him and was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2001.
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Arthur Olliver
Years played: 1935-50
Games: 272 (5 finals)
Goals: 354
Best & Fairest: 2 (=1941, 1944)
State Games: 2
Brownlow votes: 58
Leading Goalkicker: 1936 (37), 1937 (39), 1949 (28)
Captain/Coach: 1943-46, 1948-50
Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee: 2003
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Interchange
An outstanding all-round athlete, renowned as a tap ruckman but capable of playing in key positions, forward or back. The idol of Ted Whitten Snr, Olliver was a Club icon who represented the Bulldogs across 16 seasons from 1935-50, including seven years as captain-coach.
Olliver finished his career with a then-club record 272 games and 354 goals, and claimed the leading goalkicker award on three occasions.
He won two Best and Fairests (1941, 1944) and became Footscray’s most successful coach on retirement, leading the team to three finals series during the 1940s.
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Harry Hickey
Years played: 1937–42, 1944–48
Games: 174 (5 finals)
Goals: 169
Best & Fairest Top 4 finishes: 3
State Games: 2
Brownlow Medal: Runner-up 1939, Top 10 finishes: 3 (1939, 1945, 1948)
Brownlow Votes: 66+
Captain: 1947
Club Awards: Most Serviceable Player (1945)
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Wing
With his dynamic presence and match-winning instincts, Harry Hickey became a revered figure at the Bulldogs - a clever rover and natural leader whose influence still echoes through the Club’s history.
He made an immediate impact in 1937, kicking a goal on debut against St Kilda, and never looked back. Hickey featured in all five finals Footscray played between 1938 and 1948, including a standout 30-kick, five-goal masterclass against Collingwood in 1938 — a performance that saw him named best on ground in the Club’s first VFL final.
Whether ranging through traffic or stationed at half-forward, Hickey was a problem for the opposition and a gift to his teammates. His football intelligence and work rate earned him three Best and Fairest awards - in 1939, 1945 and 1948 - and saw him finish runner-up in the 1939 Brownlow Medal with 20 votes.
Leadership came naturally. He captained the side in 1947, and in 1944 famously scored a late behind against Carlton to secure Footscray a coveted semi-final berth.
Selected in the Bulldogs Team of the Century, Hickey’s 174-game career was built on grit, guile and heart. Respected across the competition, his legacy continues to inspire the red, white and blue.
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Charlie Sutton
Years played: 1942, 1946–56
Games: 173
Goals: 65
Best and fairest: 1950
Premiership: 1954
All-Australian: 1950
State games: 18
Leading goalkicker: 1951 (joint)
Captain: 1951–56, Coach: 1951–57, 1967–68
Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee: 1996
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Back pocket / Coach
Epitomising the Bulldog ‘never-say-die’ attitude on the field, Sutton was one of the most feared players of his era, be it on the half-forward flank, in the backline or roving.
An inspirational captain-coach who led by example, he coached Footscray to the Club’s first VFL finals win in 1953 and the following year delivered a famous premiership win, the Club's first, beating Melbourne at the MCG.
One of the most influential figures in the Club's history, Sutton has been immortalised by having the Club's AFL Best and Fairest award named after him.
25 Greatest Bulldogs (full list)
1925-45: Norm Ware, Harry Hickey, Arthur Olliver, Charlie Sutton, Allan Hopkins, Alby Morrison
1946-65: John Schultz, EJ Whitten, Wally Donald, Jack Collins
1966-85: Gary Dempsey, Doug Hawkins, Kelvin Templeton, Simon Beasley
1986-99: Scott Wynd, Chris Grant, Scott West, Brad Johnson, Tony Liberatore
2000-25: Bob Murphy, Matthew Boyd, Dale Morris, Tom Liberatore, Marcus Bontempelli, Ellie Blackburn
