Former Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy has hailed the unifying power of the 25 Greatest Bulldogs painting for the Bulldogs faithful across the past century.

The Jamie Cooper artwork was revealed at the Charles Sutton Medal gala event last week, with Murphy, who is a proud member of the selected 25, speaking on stage at Crown Palladium immediately after the unveiling.

Murphy spoke to the evocative nature of the painting's 'Dressing Room of Dreams' scene, in which Cooper has created an impossible collection of players in their prime, some of whom made their debut more than 100 years ago.

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"The best 25 Bulldogs to ever play is an honour that speaks for itself. But footballers are pack animals. We crave the connective tissue of teammates, colours and cause. This painting brings us together," Murphy said.

"Look at this image and your eyes will go looking for all of those bright stars, but if you're anything like me, you'll feel your senses light up too.

"The smell of linament, the sounds of a snarling choir and the embracing touch of friendship."

Murphy is depicted in the painting with his arms around the shoulders of former teammate Dale Morris as well as Allan Hopkins, the earliest representative having debuted in the VFA in 1923 and been posthumously awarded the 1930 Brownlow Medal, which he wears proudly in the painting.

Murphy said the artistic rendering brought together not just the players in the painting, but every member of the Bulldogs family.

"This picture isn't just the 25 … The smiles on those faces are yours too, the tricolours on their bodies, they're also yours," Murphy said, addressing the 1300-strong crowd in the room and thousands more watching the event stream online.

"Across more than a century and floating in the collective of our imaginations, the Bulldogs - defiant as ever - took them on and won. It's them, it's me, it's you, it's us."

An expert panel compiled the 25 Greatest Bulldogs list through multiple deliberations ahead of the Club’s Centenary Gala, which took place at Mission Whitten Oval in July. While the list of 25 was selected without rank, a Top 5 was selected in order and revealed at that event. Ted Whitten was ultimately declared the greatest Bulldog ahead of Marcus Bontempelli, with Chris Grant (#3), Gary Dempsey (#4) and Doug Hawkins (#5) rounding out the top five.

The criteria for selection was defined as: "Those who have represented the red, white and blue 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 that will always be aspired to, embodying the Bulldogs' spirit and inspiring fans to dream big and stand proud."

The artwork was created by Cooper, a renowned artist who has worked with sporting clubs across the world to create unique commemorative pieces. A former player with Fitzroy, Cooper is also responsible for the Bulldogs Team of the Century painting that hangs proudly at Mission Whitten Oval, where the new painting will also be displayed.

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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

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