When Footscray hosted Sydney at Western Oval in the opening round of the season on this day in 1995, all eyes were on Tony Lockett and Paul Roos, who were making their debuts as Swans after sensationally moving from Melbourne-based clubs in the off-season.
Lockett and Roos had been a stars for St Kilda and Fitzroy, and AFL fans of all clubs were keen to see how 'Plugger' and 'Roosy' would go.
The pair went very well, Lockett kicking six goals, including the 900th of his career, and Roos picking up 21 possessions as well as kicking a goal, but Bulldogs fans had their eyes on another player who had switched clubs over the summer.
José Romero, delisted by North Melbourne after 89 games in seven seasons, was picked up in the pre-season draft with pick number 12, and Doggies supporters were keen to see if it was an astute choice.
They got the answer they were hoping for in his first game in the red, white and blue.
Relishing a second chance, Romero collected 27 touches, more than any other player on the ground, to be a key contributor in the Bulldogs' 17-point win over Sydney.
He must have desperately unlucky to miss out on a Brownlow vote, the three votes going to Tony Liberatore (26 possessions, 10 tackles), two to Sydney's Mark Bayes and one to Leon Cameron (24 disposals).
Among the goalkickers for the Bulldogs that day was a 24-year-old named Luke Beveridge. He would later have a profound impact on the Western Bulldogs — but that's a story for another time!
Romero, who was born in Chile and came to Australia as a seven-year-old, would go on to forge a fine career with the Dogs, playing 121 games before his retirement in 2001.
That figure would have been significantly higher if not for injuries that curtailed his 1999 and 2001 seasons.
His best season was probably 1996, which was rewarded with a Charles Sutton Medal, sharing the best-and-fairest award with Chris Grant. Elite company indeed!
As well as Romero, the Bulldogs also picked up another player who would become a great contributor in the 1995 pre-season draft — Paul Dimattina, who would make his AFL debut later in the season, and play 131 games in the red, white and blue.
But like Beveridge's, Dimattina's is a story for another time, as we pause to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the debut of a Bulldog favourite, José Romero.
