To celebrate our Retro Round this Saturday, we asked fans to select the best Bulldogs team of the last 25 years. Over the next week, we’ll reveal the fan-voted team line-by-line.
Daniel Giansiracusa
Daniel Giansiracusa was selected by the Bulldogs with pick 32 in the 1999 National Draft, making his debut in Round 11, 2001. Joining a special group of players who goaled with their first kick, Giansiracusa went on to play 265 games in the red, white and blue while contributing 331 goals. He was composed under pressure, with his polish and effectiveness in front of goal his best attributes. He was also dubbed the ‘Super-Sub’ towards the back end of his career for his ability to impact late in games after being activated as the substitute. He claimed back-to-back Bulldogs’ leading goalkicker awards in 2012 and 2013, and was named the 2013 Charles Sutton Medallist.
Chris Grant
Drafted with pick 105 in the 1988 VFL Draft, Chris Grant established himself as a respected half-forward across his 18-season career. In his debut season in 1990 – at the age of 17 – he kicked 51 goals, becoming the youngest player in VFL-AFL history to achieve the feat. With clean hands and strong marking abilities, Grant went onto achieve a number of accolades, including two Charles Sutton Medals (1994 and 1996), triple-All Australian selection (1997, 1998 and 1999), and Australian Football Hall of Fame induction (2012) post-retirement. He also served as captain from 2001-2004, and polled the most votes in the 1997 Brownlow Count despite being ineligible to win. He currently acts as the Bulldogs’ Head of Football, with daughter Isabella becoming the Club’s first father-daughter selection for the AFLW team.
Nathan Brown
Nathan Brown spent seven seasons with the red, white and blue after being recruited with pick 10 in the 1996 draft. A dangerous medium-sized forward, Brown contributed 206 goals from 137 games as a Bulldog from 1997 to 2003. He was named All Australian in 2001 and 2002, averaging 20 disposals, five marks and two goals across the two seasons. He also finished atop of the Bulldogs’ goalkicking count in 2002 and 2003 with 57 and 56 goals respectively, before crossing to Richmond in 2004. He played an additional 82 AFL games before retiring in 2009.
Western Bulldogs Retro Round Dream Team
FB: Lindsay Gilbee, Brian Lake, Easton Wood
HB: Bob Murphy, Dale Morris, Rohan Smith
C: Scott West, Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae
HF: Daniel Giansiracusa, Chris Grant, Nathan Brown
FF: To be revealed
Foll: To be revealed
Int: To be revealed
Captain: To be revealed
Vice-captain: To be revealed
