After languishing near the foot of the ladder in the late '70s and early '80s, Footscray had shown signs of becoming a more than competitive team in 1983 and 1984, and Bulldogs fans were keen with anticipation as they headed to Princes Park on March 30, 1985.
Having missed out on a finals berth only by percentage in 1984, the Dogs' opening round encounter in 1985 would be a stern test, taking on 1980s powerhouse Carlton on the Blues' own turf.
The Dogs showed they were at least a match for the Blues in the first term, and scores were level at 3.2 apiece at quarter time. It was in the second quarter that Footscray gave an indication of how far they would go in 1985. The Dogs piled on six goals to two, and followed up with an eight-goal-to-six third term to take a commanding 37-point lead into the final quarter.
A six-goal-to-five last term Carlton's way saw Footscray cruise to a 30-point win, leaving fans confident that 1985 would be a special year. Full-forward Simon Beasley, who had joined the Dogs from WAFL club Swan Districts in 1982, spearheaded the win, kicking nine goals.
It was enough to earn the 'Pieman' a Brownlow vote, but the three votes went to another WAFL export. South Fremantle's Brad Hardie starred on his VFL debut, immediately establishing himself as a defensive general in the back pocket. The red-headed's stunning debut was no fluke — by September he would become the Bulldogs' seventh Brownlow Medallist.
The two votes went to centre half-forward Robert Groenewegen, who had one of the best matches of his injury-cruelled career. Along with Hardie, two other Dogs debuted that day: Allen Daniels (yet another WAFL product) played the first of 32 games that day, and Michael Ford, who would give Footscray great service in defence over the next six years.
Footscray went on to have a great 1985 season under second-year coach Mick Malthouse, finishing second on the ladder. Along with Brad Hardie's Brownlow win, Simon Beasley's great year in front of goal culminated in him taking home the Coleman Medal. He finished the home and away season with 93 goals, cracked the 100 in the Dogs' First Semi-Final win over North Melbourne, and ultimately finished with 105 goals.
The silverware won by individual Bulldogs was unfortunately not accompanied by team silverware as Footscray fell just short of a Grand Final berth. Nevertheless, the 1985 season is looked back upon with great fondness by Bulldogs fans one and all, and it was kicked off by a brilliant win at Princes Park on this day 35 years ago.
