You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. 

You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family – and if you can’t choose your family, then your football team is often the next fate resigned.  

For many families, the memories associated with the weekly footy pilgrimage are cherished.

Watching a game surrounded by your family has never just been about the game.  

It’s been about the history. 

The stories that you’ve heard a million times yet, somehow, never get sick of.  

It’s your Dad recounting (play-by-play) the 2000s game where the Dogs put an end to the “unstoppable” Dons.

Or, your Mum detailing the countless nights at The Plough, trying to get a glimpse of the TV in the corner as beer flew through the air after another Brad Johnson goal, drying down into the carpet.

Or even your grandparents dusting off their old ‘up yours Oakley’ stickers, as they remember how Irene Chatfield rallied a whole community to save the Club.

There’s a connection for all supporters that ties them to each other, to their Bulldogs community and the Club. 

There are some families, however, where the connection runs deeper; it’s completely entwined in the past, present and future of the Club.  

While the Dogs have been lucky to have countless families grace the halls of Mission Whitten Oval, there is one name that – arguably – encapsulates the spirit, fight and personality of the Club and its fans more than any other. 

Liberatore.  

Since the mid 1980s, the Liberatore name – courtesy of Tony and now Tom – has been a big part of the Club’s DNA.  

Their scrappy, hard-nosed playing style, team-first mentality, dry humour and care for the community is admired across the league.  

They have provided countless on-and-off-field memories that will live on forever across the weekly dining room discussions.  

The place held by the Liberatores is not lost to them and, perhaps, explains their ongoing willingness to give back.

“I’m really fortunate to be quite honest,” Tony said when reflecting on the Club’s 100-year celebrations 

“I played for this club for 15/16 years and Tom very similar in a way – and still going. 

“I’m very proud to be associated with the footy club. They’ve given me so much. 

“More importantly, they’ve given the people from the west so much.”  

Tony is a true Bulldogs man and as die-hard of a supporter as he was a player.  

Arriving at the Club in the mid 1980s during the Mick Malthouse era, Tony would have to bide his time in the reserves until getting his first chance at senior footy in 1986.  

He would play alongside some of the greats of the era: Doug Hawkins, Chris Grant, Scott Wynd, Leon Cameron, Brian Royal and Terry Wheeler to name just a few.  

While there was a natural curiosity into the Club’s rich history, it was under former teammate and then coach Terry Wheeler that Tony’s interest peaked. 

“He was so strong on culture and also history,” Tony said when reflecting on Wheeler’s coaching days. 

“He made all the players learn about the history. We were fortunate to have so many great players and you learned from those guys. 

“That was important for me because I think that embodies the footy club. They’re just really important people and our history is very important.  

“It’s such a resilient place and that’s what I’ve found.”  

Tony would go onto have a 283-game career as a one-club player.  

A career that included a Charles Sutton Medal, a Brownlow Medal in 1990 and inclusion in the Western Bulldogs’ Team of the Century alongside many of the great names he spent years learning about as a player. 

Libba’s playing style was one-of-a-kind. 

His height never an issue, his ferocity never questioned and his place at the bottom of a pack permanently reserved.  

Tony was the player coaches would love. He was someone they could rely on to change their game to suit the needs of the team, no matter the impact that may have had on their reputation.  

“I was probably a fair player when I first started but, then I had to change my game," he said.

“My then coach Terry Wallace said ‘if you don’t change your game, you won’t survive’ 

“The last six-or-seven years I had to become a negating type, tagging player. I copped the wrath of the tribunal a few times.  

“Guys like Matthew Knights and Craig McRae still talk to me so, that’s good.”  

“That’s part of footy, though. That’s what makes supporters and the members talk.  

“You get a bit of a reputation after you do one-or-two indiscretions. I wouldn’t take anything back. 

“Although I probably wouldn’t whack those blokes.”  

While Tony may not have ever tasted the ultimate success, he sure wasn’t going to miss out on celebrating alongside Tom in 2016.  

A photo of the two sharing a moment in the rooms after the game will forever be iconic. Beers in hand, smiling ear-to-ear, you can see the pride in Tony’s face as he looked at his son, taking in another important moment in Club history. In their shared history. 

“Football clubs ebb and flow,” said Tony 

“You have your ups and you have your downs. I feel proud to be part of the downs because, we’re a real resilient club.  

 “I’m just proud of the fact that I played with every player that I played with. 

“For me, it’s more about mateship and seeing the same players at reunions and past players and having a chat.  

“Whether it’s senior players, or reserve players or under 19s players. To me that’s really important, when players – especially young players, understand that, then they’ll understand what team footy is all about.  

“This is my history, this is my story.” 

On Saturday night, Tom will once again run out as the captain of the Club.  

While there is no doubt that the team will miss injured captain Marcus Bontempelli, there is something arguably fitting that the Liberatore name will lead out the team on a night which holds such importance to the team and its fans.  

The occasion is not lost on Tom either, who gets to live out a childhood dream.  

“I’m just very proud and probably more humble to (be captain) this week," Liberatore told media during the week.  

“In terms of my dad and my family, and how much I’ve been part of it, I’m just really proud and honoured to be leading us out. 

“There’s obviously a lot of momentum and a lot of energy. As players we’re aware of it and we do make a big deal of the history of the Club. 

“I think it’s going to add a bit more than usual, but to play on the ‘G as well on Friday – it’s very exciting.” 

There are countless stories just like the Liberatores which fill the pages of the Bulldogs’ history. 

While there are many still to come, there is one that the Footscray family can continue to discuss for many years to come.  

In a competition filled with Type A footballers, the Club is so lucky to have experienced Type L.