The Western Bulldogs will take on GWS this Saturday night, in the first of two home-and-away encounters between the clubs in 2025. This season will be the fourth in a row in which the Dogs and Giants have crossed swords twice in home-and-away fixtures.
The Bulldogs did face GWS multiple times in 2016 and 2019 thanks to match-ups in finals. The first of those was the 2016 preliminary final, generally recognised as one of the great games in AFL history, with the Dogs’ six-point win propelling them into the 2016 Grand Final.
While that unforgettable prelim is probably the first game that would come to mind for Bulldogs fans when thinking about the fierce rivalry between the clubs that has built up over 14 seasons, there have been many other memorable moments, including a number at Manuka Oval in Canberra, the venue for this week’s clash.
In fact, the first three encounters between the Bulldogs and the Giants took place at Manuka. The first of those, in Round 5, 2012, had some added spice with two former Bulldogs – Callan Ward and Sam Reid – turning out for GWS. The Giants caught the visitors napping early, leading by 11 points at the first change, but the Dogs regained control over the next three quarters to run out 42-point winners.
Leading the charge for the Bulldogs was Ryan Griffen, with 37 disposals and a goal. Griffen would himself become a Giant at the end of 2014. Dylan Addison, another solid contributor for the Dogs in that inaugural match with 18 possessions, also joined GWS in the same year.
The Bulldogs almost came unstuck in their second match against the Giants at Manuka in 2013, with the home side leading narrowly at each of the first three breaks. But led by big Will Minson in the ruck, the Dogs overcame GWS in the end to win by four points. Minson, celebrating his 150th game, had 45 hit-outs and 14 disposals.
In Round 4, 2014 the teams again faced off and the Giants again made the early running, leading at the first three changes, and by as much as 26 points at the first of those breaks. The Dogs were still 14 points down late in the third term, but kicked nine of the last 10 goals of the match to run out 27-point winners. Matthew Boyd and Shaun Higgins dominated at midfield, while Stewart Crameri booted four goals, and a youngster named Liam Jones kicked three.
Not all of the Dogs’ visits to Manuka Oval have ended well for the visitors. They went down by a heartbreaking two points in a 2017 thriller, and in the opening round of the 2018 season they not only lost badly to the Giants but also lost Tom Liberatore for the season to a ruptured ACL.
However, the Bulldogs’ two most recent visits to Canberra have been happier affairs. The Dogs recorded an impressive 39-point win over GWS in 2021, with Adam Treloar (35 disposals), Marcus Bontempelli (26) and Jack Macrae (40) putting on a midfield masterclass. The skipper led the way again in the 2023 encounter at the same venue, his 32 touches and a goal helping the Dogs to a hard-fought 15-point win.
The Dogs will head to Canberra with justifiable confidence on Saturday, looking to build on an impressive 5-2 record against the Giants in our nation’s capital.
Giant Bulldogs
Remarkably, the first footballer to play for both the Bulldogs and Giants – Callan Ward – is still going strong. He is due to play AFL game 322 on Saturday night. He wore the red, white and blue in the first 60 of those.
Lining up for the Dogs in Saturday’s match will be former Giant Rory Lobb. Lobb spent five seasons with GWS, followed by four at Fremantle and is now in his third season as a Bulldog.
Missing from the Dogs’ team on Saturday night through injury will be another Giants pioneer: Adam Treloar. Like Lobb, Treloar came from GWS to Whitten Oval via a third AFL club – in his case Collingwood. After 79 games as a Giant and 94 as a Magpie, Treloar has now played 81 games for the Doggies.
Along with the aforementioned Ryan Griffen, Sam Reid and Dylan Addison there are three other men who have played for both clubs – Sam Darley, Josh Bruce and, of course, one of the Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership heroes: Tom Boyd.
