Many fine players have come to the Bulldogs from other clubs over the last 30 years, and selecting the best of the them is no easy task.
Even narrowing the list to a 'top 20' is a fraught exercise, but westernbulldogs.com.au has done so, and is giving readers a chance to vote for the best of them.
To be eligible, players had to have been on the list of another AFL club before arriving at the Bulldogs in the same year, either as part of a trade, as a free agent, or via the draft.
VISIT THE BULLDOGS’ NAB TRADE AND DRAFT HUB, POWERED BY MERCEDES-BENZ VANS
Who made the biggest impact at the Kennel? We'll let you tell us!
Over the next two days, we look at the candidates, starting today with the first 10, in order of when they arrived at Whitten Oval.
Voting will commence on Wednesday, October 3 and will conclude on Sunday, October 7.
The top 10 will be unveiled from Monday, October 8.
BERNARD TOOHEY (40 games, 1992-93): A veteran of 223 games by the time he joined the Bulldogs in a trade deal with Sydney that involved players and draft picks. The Dogs swapped pick 6 in the 1991 draft and Stuart Wigney for Toohey and pick 67 (with which Shane Ellen was drafted). Toohey may have been in the twilight of his career but his two seasons with the Dogs yielded 40 fine games in 1992-93 and his work off the half-back line was a major factor in the Dogs' rise up the ladder to a Preliminary Final berth in his first season at Whitten Oval.
LUKE BEVERIDGE (31 games 1993-95): After four seasons with Melbourne, Luke Beveridge joined Footscray in exchange for pick 122 in the 1992 draft. Beveridge spent only three seasons as a rover/forward at Whitten Oval, but in that time he formed a bond with the Club that would later prove pivotal in his decision to apply for the coaching at the end of 2014. As every Bulldog knows, Beveridge's application was successful, and he led the club to a drought-breaking premiership in 2016. 2019 will be Beveridge's fifth in the role.
RICHARD OSBORNE (51 games 1994-96): After 187 games with Fitzroy and one season with Sydney, the supremely talented Richard Osborne joined the Bulldogs via draft-pick swap with Sydney and gave the Bulldogs excellent service over two and a half seasons. Osborne's 51 games yielded 98 goals and his efforts helped the Dogs into the finals in 1994 and 1995. He later played two seasons at Collingwood.
JOSÉ ROMERO (122 games 1995-2001): José Romero's story is a case of North Melbourne's loss becoming the Western Bulldogs’ gain. Romero found himself on the outer with the Kangaroos at the end of 1994, but the Bulldogs threw him a lifeline. A fringe player in his first year at Whitten Oval, he took on a run-with role in 1996 at Terry Wallace's suggestion and relished it, his fitness and work ethic making him a vital cog in the side that contested a record four consecutive finals series between 1997 and 2000.
BRAD WIRA (61 games 1996-98): A Fremantle foundation player, Wira managed just one senior game with the Dockers in 1995 before heading east to join the Bulldogs, immediately becoming ‘Mr Dependable’ in the back pocket. Wira could always be relied on to keep his opponent quiet, and he was more than capable of getting plenty of the ball himself and launch a Bulldog forward thrust.
SIMON MINTON-CONNELL (25 games 1997-98): With a hyphenated surname and slicked back hair, Simon Minton-Connell seemed almost the antithesis of the dour, working-class Bulldog image when he was traded by Hawthorn for a draft pick, but it was that very image that coach Terry Wallace was trying to shed as he transformed the Dogs to a highly skilled running side. At full forward, Minton-Connell became the finisher, and his 53 goals in 25 games were an important part of the Club's transformation from battler to premiership contender.
PAUL HUDSON (108 games 1997-2001): Like Minton-Connell, Hudson came from Hawthorn (via the pre-season draft) and helped transformed the Bulldogs from gritty, defensive team to a side of elite skills playing attractive football. Hudson's five seasons at Whitten Oval encompassed the Dogs four consecutive finals campaigns between 1997 and 2000 and his 108 (of a possible 117) games for a return of 214 goals provided the Bulldogs' forward line with both polish and stability.
SIMON GARLICK (137 games, 1998-2004): Originally from Glen Waverley, Simon Garlick spent four seasons with the Sydney Swans before returning to Melbourne to join the Bulldogs (the Bulldogs gave Sydney draft pick 31 for Garlick, and the Swans on-traded it to Brisbane, who used it to select Simon Black). Garlick's time at Whitten Oval saw him excel in the midfield and in attack at various times. He played 137 games in seven seasons with the Dogs, and later provided the Club great service in his role as CEO.
MATTHEW ROBBINS (139 games, 1999-2007): Matthew Robbins was never an AFL household name but his contribution to the Bulldogs over nine seasons cannot be overstated. Robbins came to the Dogs in an exchange for draft picks with Geelong, where he had struggled establish himself. At the Dogs he found a regular spot on a half-back line before later becoming a forward. Robbins' unflinching attack on the ball earned him great respect. He was also capable of the spectacular and his one-handed mark in 2005 stands as one of the best in AFL history.
NATHAN EAGLETON (221 games, 2000-10): After arriving at Whitten Oval from Port Adelaide (in exchange for Brent Montgomery), Nathan Eagleton might have lost his hair, but he never lost his dare or flare, and he became a Bulldog favourite over 11 seasons, in which he played 221 games to go with his 56 appearances with the Power. Eagleton's lightning pace and penetrating left-foot set up many a goal for the Dogs, and he was a key part of the Club's finals campaigns of 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010.