People like Betty Hayes are the beating heart of the Western Bulldogs Football Club.

She’s 83 now and is confined to a wheelchair, but she’s been at every game this season, and she’ll be at Spotless Stadium on the weekend after getting her ticket to the game on Monday morning.

Betty is a Bulldog through and through. 

She was at the 1954 Grand Final and has been coming to the Western Oval since she was a little girl.

Her husband was even the president of the Hyde Street Band, a brass ensemble who used to circle the old ground at half time with a blanket for supporters to throw coins into.

The Bulldogs haven’t played in a Grand Final since 1961, Betty was there too, and Preliminary Final week fills her with a mix of excitement and anxiety. 

“The worst one was Adelaide (in 1997),” she told westernbulldogs.com.au. 

“Oh yeah, it was a goal,” she offered unprompted, referring to Tony Liberatore’s famous behind in the final term of the 1997 Preliminary Final.

But she feels good about this group.  She was ‘so excited,’ when the final siren sounded against the Hawks on Friday night, and she’s quick to answer when asked what was different about the 2016 Bulldogs.

“It’s the coach,” she said.  

“I don’t know how to explain it, I think he’s great, I really do.

“He talks to them, he goes around and speaks to them all, everything.”

Betty breaks into a wide smile when asked about what a return trip to the MCG on Saturday week would mean to her.

“It’d be great, it would be excellent.  I’m 83-years old and I don’t know how much longer I’ve got here, so it would be good.”

No pressure.