Established in 2010, the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Hall of Fame honours those whose involvement and contribution to our club has been significant, memorable and worthy of celebration.
The Western Bulldogs’ club of today has been shaped over many years by the influence and actions of many people, over many years from the highly successful VFA era through the VFL years to the AFL, behind the scenes as well as on the playing field. The part they have each played in shaping our club has touched and affected the rest of us in ways they could never have foreseen.
Simon Beasley
Inducted: 2010
Games: 154 (1982–89)
Goals: 575
Leading goalkicker: 1982–87
Coleman Medal: 1985
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (full forward).
Deceptively strong, with a lightning lead and good hands, this full forward was deadly accurate from inside fifty metres. Over his 154 games the ‘Pieman’ kicked a club record of 575 goals and claimed a Coleman Medal.
George Bisset
Inducted: 2012
Games: 166 (1963–72)
Goals: 288
Best and fairest: 1969
Leading goalkicker: 1963 (equal), 1964 (equal), 1967, 1969, 1970
State selection: 1 game for Victoria
Night premierships: 1963, 1964, 1967, 1970
Runner-up Brownlow Medal: 1969
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (forward pocket)
This pint-sized rover was a favourite of the Bulldog faithful, with his determined, tenacious play and his cheeky nature (which earned him a reputation as the club’s court jester).
Bisset was a smart, skilful player who read the game well, was deadly accurate with his stab pass and was dangerous around goal, as evidenced by his winning the club goalkicking on five occasions.
He had an outstanding 1969 season, gaining State selection, finishing runner-up in the Brownlow Medal and winning the club best and fairest. Bisset played in four night premierships, won three consecutive ‘Most Determined’ awards in the late 1960s and a ‘Most Consistent’ award in 1972.
In 2002, he was named as forward pocket in the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century.
Jack Collins
Inducted: 2010
Games: 154 (1950–58)
Goals: 385
Best and fairest: 1951, 1952
Leading goal kicker: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958
VFL Leading goal kicker: 1954, 1957 (Coleman Medal)
Club Secretary: 1959–66
Club President: 1967–73
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (forward pocket).
Champion premiership full forward who also starred in defence. Devoted a lifetime of service to the club.
Wally Donald
Inducted: 2012
Games: 205 (1946–58)
Goals: 1
Captain: 1956 (part)
Premiership: 1954
Best and fairest: 1949
Runner-up best and fairest: 1952, 1953, 1954
State selection: 3 games for Victoria
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (half-back flank)
The ever-reliable Wally Donald, vice-captain of the 1954 premiership team, was a versatile player who started his career as a midfielder, moving to half-back and fullback, before finally settling as a back-pocket where he worked in tandem with fullback Herb Henderson to form a formidable combination.
Donald, who had a good leap and superb judgement, won the 1949 best and fairest award while playing at fullback, despite conceding both reach and height to his opponents. Later he was to be runner-up for the club best and fairest award in three consecutive years (1952, 1953 and the premiership year 1954).
Premiership coach, Charlie Sutton, called him the ‘captain of the backline’. He represented Victoria on three occasions and, in 2002, was chosen as a member of the Bulldogs Team of the Century.
Herb Henderson
Inducted: 2012
Games: 130 (1950–58)
Premiership: 1954
Runner-up best and fairest: 1955
State selection: 5 games for Victoria
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (fullback)
During the 1950s, Herb Henderson was an indispensable member of Footscray’s almost impenetrable defensive combination (alongside such players as Donald, Bryden, Martin, Whitten and Gallagher). Together, termed the ‘defence of the century’, they consistently kept opposition sides to record low scores.
Loved by supporters, the tall but lean Henderson played opponents shoulder to shoulder or from the front, was fair and disciplined and displayed uncanny judgement and balance, which served him well in both ground play and marking contests.
Conceding an enviable career average of only 2.06 goals against him per game, Henderson earned a reputation for restricting the best full forwards of his era (including Essendon’s John Coleman) to few goals.
His career winning-game ratio of just over 60% remains one of the highest of all Bulldog players and emphasises his importance as a player.
Henderson represented Victoria in 1954 and 1955 and was chosen as Footscray’s greatest ever fullback in the Team of the Century.
Harry Hickey
Inducted: 2010
Games: 174 (1937–42, 1944–48)
Goals: 169
Best and fairest: 1939, 1945, 1948
Captain: 1947
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (wing)
Played in Footscray’s first five VFL finals appearances. A fine rover and midfielder he developed into one of the dominating centremen of the 1940s, finishing runner-up in the 1939 Brownlow Medal, winning three best and fairest awards and captaining the club in 1947.
John Jillard
Inducted: 2014
Games: 189 (1958–70)
Goals: 1
Grand Finals: 1961
Best and fairest: 1967
Runner-up best and fairest: 1962, 1963, 1965
State selection: 2 games for Victoria
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (half-back flank)
Debuting at 17 years of age in 1958, John Jillard was to carve out an outstanding career, providing dedicated and loyal service to the club during 13 seasons and 189 games. Fearless to the extreme, Jillard was a tough and courageous half-back whose sheer determination won him many a contest.
A good overhead mark, he had fine judgement and the ability to keep his man well held while providing dash from the backline with long left-foot kicks. Jillard played in Footscray’s losing 1961 Grand Final side, was a three-time night premiership player (1963, 1964 and 1967) and represented Victoria in 1965 and 1967.
Testimony to his consistency is the fact he was runner-up in the best and fairest three times and third once before winning it in 1967.
He was named on a half-back flank in the Bulldogs’ Team of the Century and his elevation into the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute for a great footballer and an even greater clubman.
Tony Liberatore
Inducted: 2010
Games: 283 (1986–2002)
Goals: 95 goals
Brownlow Medal: 1990
Best and fairest: 1991
All-Australian selection: 1990
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (interchange)
With a huge heart and incredible stamina ‘Libba’ became one of the game’s finest small men. The smallest player to win a Brownlow Medal and the only man to have won the hat-trick of Morrish, Gardiner and Brownlow Medals.
Alby Morrison
Inducted: 2010
Games: 224 (1928–38, 1941–42, 1946)
Goals: 369
Best and fairest: 1933, 1936
Leading goal kicker: 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934
Captain: 1934 (part), 1935, 1937
Coach: 1934 (part), 1935 (part)
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (half-forward flank)
Won the first of his five club goal kicking titles in his debut season. In 224 games he kicked 369 goals – a club record at the time.
Brian Royal
Inducted: 2012
Games: 199 (1983–93) Goals: 299
Best and fairest: 1983 Runner-up best and fairest: 1988
State selection: 8 games for Victoria
All-Australian selection: 1983, 1986
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (rover)
A quick, classy and skilled rover, Brian Royal burst onto the League scene in his 1983 debut season, when he was awarded the VFL ‘Rookie of the Year’ award and Footscray’s best and fairest. ‘Choco’, as he was known, was a clean ball-winner, gutsy and dangerous around goal.
He was a regular State representative and revelled in playing at that level, displaying all the exciting skills football fans had come to expect of him. Royal finished in the top five in the 1987 Brownlow Medal count and, while his on-field role changed in subsequent seasons, he still remained a vital member of the Footscray team as a ruck rover and a goalsneak when forward.
His final few years were plagued by injuries but he continued to display his class and to kick goals. Royal fell agonisingly short of the 200 game/300 goal double, rupturing his Achilles tendon in his 199th game.
He was named as rover in the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century.
Joe Ryan
Inducted: 2012
Games: 167 (1937–48)
Goals: 261
Best and fairest: 1946, 1947
Leading goalkicker: 1945
State selection: 1 game for Victoria
Footscray reserves coach: 1948–60
A very popular figure at the club, Joe Ryan gave a lifetime of service, first as a player, then as coach of the second-eighteen and, finally, as a recruiting officer.
In his playing days, Ryan was a thickset, fearless rover who terrorised the opposition by boring into packs to win the ball. He had great goal sense, was an accurate kick and was regarded by his team-mates as the best small man of his era.
Determination was a key characteristic of his play and this, combined with his endless reserves of stamina, meant Ryan was seldom beaten. His consistency over many years was reflected in his State selection in 1939, his president’s trophy as the ‘Most Outstanding’ player in 1943, and his back-to-back best and fairest awards in 1946 and 1947.
After retiring as a senior player, Joe Ryan served as coach of the Footscray reserves team for an unprecedented thirteen-year period and continued to be a key figure of invaluable support behind the scenes.
Rohan Smith
Inducted: 2014
Games: 300 (1992–2006)
Goals: 254
Third best and fairest: 1996, 1999, 2002
Leading goalkicker: 2000
All-Australian selection: 1997, 2003
State selection: 3 games for Victoria
E.J. Whitten Medallist: 1998
Recruited from local side, Kingsville, Rohan Smith developed into one of the AFL’s most damaging players. He spent the early part of his career as a wingman/forward before switching to half-back, where his attacking style won him a reputation as one of the game’s premier running defenders and goalkicking backmen.
With his game-breaking mix of creativity, dash and precision kicking, he was an exhilarating sight – running and bouncing his way to the 50-metre arc, where he would unleash a powerful right-foot shot at goal.
A two-time All-Australian, Smith represented Victoria in 1997, ’98 and ’99, winning the E.J. Whitten Medal in 1998 and finishing in the top four in club best and fairest voting on five occasions.
The durable Smith also had stints in the midfield and forward line, winning the club goalkicking in 2000. He famously reached the magical 300-game milestone in the 2006 finals series, bringing the curtain down on an outstanding career.
Kelvin Templeton
Inducted: 2010
Games: 143 (1974–82)
Goals: 494
Captain: 1982
Best and fairest: 1978, 1980
Leading goalkicker: 1976–80
Coleman Medal: 1978–79
Brownlow Medal: 1980
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (centre half-forward)
Templeton’s 15 goals in a game remains one of the most incredible performances in club history. He was the first key forward from any club to ever win a Brownlow Medal.
Peter Box
Played: 1951, 1953-57 (6 seasons)
Games: 107 (66 wins, 2 draws, 39 losses-Success ratio 62.62%)
Goals: 43
Premiership: 1954
Brownlow Medal: 1956
Brownlow career votes: 47
Best & Fairest: (1) 1955, R/U: 1956
Finals: 7 (including losing Prelims 1953, 1956)
Victorian Rep Games: 5 (1956-57)
Recruited from suburban Cheltenham, Peter Box is the only Bulldogs VFL/AFL player to ever win a Premiership, Brownlow Medal and Best and Fairest.
After winning the Best and Fairest in 1955, Box’s outstanding form saw him win the Brownlow Medal in 1956 by six votes. Box represented Victoria five times during 1956-57 and left the Bulldogs after just 107 games and 43 goals for the club between 1951 and 1953-57 in a short but dramatic career.
Scott West
Inducted: 2012
Games: 324 (1993–2008)
Goals: 104
Best and fairest: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005
Runner-up best and fairest: 2001, 2006
Runner-up Brownlow Medal: 2000, 2006
State selection: 1 game for Victoria
All-Australian selection: 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (ruck rover)
A left-footed centreman with an extraordinary record, having won the Bulldogs’ best and fairest award a record seven times, West’s career spanned sixteen seasons of consistency.
An accumulator of possessions, winning the ball in courageous fashion, West was the engine of the Bulldog team, and the linchpin of many a Bulldog comeback. Through sheer perseverance, he willed himself to each contest, diving into packs and gaining possession through incredible ball control before employing creative handball.
Selected in 1998 but unable to take the field, West made his State debut in 1999. Named ruck rover in the Team of the Century, five times All-Australian, runner-up in the Brownlow Medal twice (2000, 2006), third once (1998) and fourth twice (2004, 2005), no other Bulldog player has polled as many Brownlow votes.
Don Ross
Played: 1952-58 (7 seasons)
Games: 129 (70 wins, 2 draws, 57 losses-Success ratio 55.04%)
Goals: 20
Premiership: 1954
Brownlow career votes: 11
Best & Fairest: (1) 1956, R/U: 1958
Finals: 6 (including losing Prelims 1953, 1956)
When he arrived at Footscray from North Albury, Ross was asked to play in just about every position in his first couple of seasons, before settling into the developing ruck-rover role later in his career.
Loved by his coach for his vigorous approach to the game, Ross played a great game in the premiership victory by using his fearless style and dash to pave the way for many a Footscray attack. Ross tied for the Best Clubman award in 1955, won the Best and Fairest in 1956, the year Peter Box won his Brownlow Medal, was appointed vice-captain to Ted Whitten in 1957 and came runner-up in the club's Best and Fairest in 1958.
Scott Wynd
Inducted: 2012
Games: 237 (1988–2000)
Goals: 31
Captain: 1994–2000
Best and fairest: 1992
Runner-up best and fairest: 1991
Brownlow Medal: 1992
State selection: 3 games for Victoria
All Australian selection: 1992
Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (interchange)
Another great Bulldog ruckman considered to be the best big man in the game at his peak, Scott Wynd’s outstanding 1992 season won him the Brownlow Medal, All-Australian honours, State selection and the club best and fairest.
A dominating tap ruckman, Wynd was also exceptional at ground level, throwing himself into scrimmages after a ball-up in a bid to clear the ball. Wynd was the Bulldog’s most influential player in the 1990s and was made captain in 1994, a position he held for seven seasons (only surpassed in club history by the captaincy of Ted Whitten).
With the captain’s role, Wynd added aggression and leadership to his all-round game. Despite battling persistent knee problems throughout his years as a player, Wynd carved out an impressive career and was chosen on the interchange in the Team of the Century in 2002.
Steve Wallis
Played: 1983-96 (14 seasons)
Games: 261 (130 wins, 4 draws, 127 losses-Success ratio 50.57%)
Goals: 57
Captain: (1) 1989
Best and fairest: Nil R/U: 1985 3rd: 1987, 89 4th: 1992 Top 4: 4 times
Brownlow career votes: 43
Finals: 8 (including losing Prelims 1985, 1992)
Victorian Rep Games: 3 (1985, 91)
Recruited from Leongatha, Wallis was an outstanding centreman, a ball-getting machine in his early years who played a club record 113 consecutive games from debut.
With his great mate and fellow Gippsland recruit, Brian Royal, the pair helped spark a revival of the Bulldog’s fortunes during the 1980s. Not blessed with an abundance of pace or a long kick, Wallis read the play well and had a happy knack of finding the ball and using it to good effect.
Bernie Quinlan
Played: 1969-77
Games: 177 (85 wins, 4 draws, 88 losses-Success ratio 49.15%)
Goals: 241
Best and fairest: nil R/U: nil 3rd:1973, 1975, 1977 4th: 1974 Top 4: 4 times
Leading Club Goalkicker: (1) 1971
Brownlow career votes: 57.5
Finals: 2
Victorian Rep Games: 2 (1974, 1977)
Inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame: 1996
Known as ‘Superboot’ for his prodigious right foot kicking, Bernie Quinlan was a superbly talented footballer recruited from Traralgon, in the heart of Footscray’s recruiting zone.
Tall and athletic, he was the perfect prototype of the modern footballer. His long reach, dynamic spring, agility and pace for a big man made him a dangerous player while his versatility allowed him to play forward and back, key position or flank, with equal aplomb.
Dale Morris
Inducted: 2023
DOB: 29/12/82
Height: 190cm
Recruited from: Essendon Doutta Stars (EDFL)/Werribee (VFL), Pick 19 in 2004 Rookie Draft
Guernsey number: #38
Debut: Round 5, 2005
Games: 253
Honours: All Australian (2008), Premiership player (2016), Charles Sutton Medal runner-up (2016)
Premiership Bulldog Dale Morris was a revered and much-loved servant of his era, playing253 games in the red, white and blue across 15 years. Enduring his fair share of injury misfortunes – which included a broken back, leg and arm and three ACL injuries – Morris’ resilience and perseverance was second to none.
Luke Darcy
Inducted: 2023
DOB: 12/07/1975
Height: 197cm
Recruited from: South Adelaide FC (SANFL)
Guernsey number: #14
Debut: Round 21, 1994
Games: 226
Goals: 183
Honours: Charles Sutton Medallist (2001), All-Australian (2002), Leigh Matthews Trophy (2002), Rising Star nominee (1996), Club leading goalkicker (2004)
A generational ruckman and Bulldog through and through, Luke Darcy was a classy ruckman that, in his peak, was regarded as the best big man in the game. Retiring in 2007 after 226 games and 183 goal, Darcy’s father (David) and son (Sam) have both represented the Bulldogs, making the family one of the most famous names to grace Whitten Oval.
Bob Murphy
Inducted: 2023
DOB: 09/06/1982
Height: 187cm
Recruited from: Warragul (GFL)/Gippsland Power (TAC Cup), Pick 13 in 1999 National Draft
Guernsey number: #2
Debut: Round 19, 2000
Games: 312
Goals: 183
Honours: WB captain (2015-2017), All Australian (2011, 2015 captain), AFLPA Captain of the Year (2015), Charles Sutton Medal runner-up (2011), WB all-time sixth-most games played, Rising star nominee (2001)
The former Bulldogs skipper and 312-gamer was a composed and versatile utility, renowned for his leadership qualities both on and off the field. Across an 18-year career at Whitten Oval, Murphy bagged 183 goals from his 300+ games – becoming the seventh player in Club history to notch up the triple ton. He also captained the side for three seasons, including the year of the drought-breaking premiership success in 2016 despite missing the Grand Final through injury.
Jim Gallagher
Inducted: 2023
DOB: 16/01/1931
Height: 180cm
Guernsey number: #24
Debut: Round 9, 1951
Games: 151
Honours: Premiership player (1954), Victoria representative (x2, 1954), Bulldogs’ Team of the Century (interchange)
1954 Premiership defender Jim Gallagher was a relentless half-back flanker, who played 151 games in the red, white and blue across 10 seasons (1951-60). He was a key part of Footscray’s back six who were coined the ‘Defence of the Century’ for their ability to limit opposition scoring.
Matthew Boyd
Inducted: 2023
DOB: 27/08/1982
Height: 184cm
Recruited from: Frankston (VFL)/Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup), Pick No. 23 in 2002 Rookie Draft
Guernsey number: #5
Debut: Round 7, 2003
Games: 292
Goals: 86
Honours: Premiership player (2016), Club captain (2011-13), All Australian (2009, 2011, 2016), Charles Sutton Medallist (2009, 2011, 2012)
Premiership defender and three-time Club Champion Matthew Boyd played just shy of 300 matches in the red, white and blue across 15 seasons, with his 292-game record for most games played by a rookie still standing today. A key part of the Bulldogs’ resurgence, Boyd’s leadership and experience was crucial in Club’s 2016 premiership run.
