When the 2016 premiership flag is unfurled at Etihad Stadium on Friday, 31 March, some iconic Bulldogs will be on hand to mark the occasion.
Today’s ICON profile: Gary Hincks
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Gary Hincks has been coming to watch the Western Bulldogs since he first saw them play as a 30-year-old in 1974. That fact alone is impressive enough and stamps Hincks as a died-in-the-wool Doggies fan.
But what elevates Hincks to 'legend' status in the realm of football fandom is the fact that he has not missed a single game since - not one, single Western Bulldogs match.
To clarify, that's not just Bulldogs home games that Hincks hasn't missed, it's away games, too. And to expand even further, it's not just the Dogs' away games in Melbourne, it's every Western Bulldogs match, in every Australian state and territory.
That's nearly 1,000 games, and Gary Hincks has been there in person for each and every one of them. It is an utterly remarkable achievement, made all the more so by the fact that Hincks lives in Portland in western Victoria, a four-hour drive from Melbourne.
And it gets more remarkable still, for Hincks chooses not to make that four-hour drive each week. Rather, he takes public transport, which turns his trip each way into a six-hour journey.
"I don't like driving", he says, simply.
While the game of football would not be possible without the players themselves, Gary Hincks is conclusive evidence of the fact that football clubs are not possible without the existence of members and fans who display his level of commitment, year in year out, regardless of the prevailing fortunes of the team.
Hincks, always to be found in his distinctive chef's hat, met Tony Liberatore by chance in 2013 when both were on their way to see the Bulldogs take on Gold Coast at Carrara. The Bulldogs lost that match in a seemingly disheartening fashion but at the end of it, Hincks turned to 'Libba' and said the Bulldogs were evolving and would win a flag within three years.
Gary Hincks was right. The Western Bulldogs saluted last year, their 2016 premiership win due as much to the support of loyal fans like him as to the efforts of the players on the MCG last October.
People like Gary Hincks who offer the club their undying, unconditional support deserve special recognition, and they will receive just that this Friday night when Hincks joins other Bulldogs greats to be part of the premiership flag unfurling ceremony.
