Jason Akermanis was a larger-than-life character as a player, known as much for his opinions on the game as his sublime football skills.
Akermanis arrived at the Western Bulldogs ahead of the 2007 season, having already played 248 senior matches for the Brisbane Lions.
With a Brownlow Medal, four All-Australian selections and two best and fairest awards, Akermanis had been a vital member of Brisbane’s triple premiership success in the early 2000s.
The Bulldogs gave up pick 34 (later used by the Lions to select Chris Schmidt) to Brisbane in exchange for Akermanis, who arrived at the Kennel on a three-year contract.
“It's been an interesting year to say the least, but it was a relief when they rang me and said it was going to happen,” Akermanis told media at the time.
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Akermanis was an important player in the 2008 and 2009 seasons when the Dogs made it all the way to preliminary finals.
He signed a contract extension for the 2010 season, but left the game in July of the same year.
Akermanis finished his time at the Bulldogs having played 77 games and booting 114 goals.
Top 10 Best Bulldog Arrivals so far:
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No. 9 – Ben Hudson
No. 8 – Matt Suckling
No. 7 – Paul Hudson
No. 6 – Luke Beveridge
