"Mark this day down Western Bulldogs fans — Saturday May the 2nd."

These words were uttered by Fox Footy's Anthony Hudson at the conclusion of the Bulldogs' epic match against Sydney at the SCG on this day five years ago. 

'Huddo' is renowned for calling some of the game's most iconic moments, such as "Thirteen! Thirteen!" to describe the last of Lance Franklin's baker's dozen of goals in 2012 and "I see it but I don't believe it!" after a late Nick Davis goal snatched a win for Sydney against Geelong in the 2005 finals. 

But for Bulldogs fans, Hudson's words from five years ago are as memorable as any he's ever spoken. And they were prescient words, too, because that day did indeed mark an important milestone in the Western Bulldogs' journey to the 2016 premiership. 

The Bulldogs headed to Sydney for their Round 5, 2015 match against the Swans with a 3-1 record in Luke Beveridge's first season of coach.  The Dogs were coming off the back of a brilliant win over Adelaide, but there was a strong feeling among footy pundits that they would be brought back down to earth and taught a lesson by the seasoned Sydney outfit. 

And for the first 10 minutes of the match, that's exactly how the game looked like panning out.  The Swans had kicked two goals to nil and led by 13 points.  More worryingly, the ball had hardly been in the Dogs' forward line. 

But an intercept mark and goal from Marcus Bontempelli sparked a complete turnaround. Bontempelli's goal was followed by four more to Stewart Crameri (two), Jake Stringer and Lin Jong. By quarter time the Bulldogs were ahead by 14 points and Tom Boyd extended that lead to 20 with the first goal of the second term.

Then came the rain, and with it, a Swans fightback, with goals to Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin cutting the margin to just seven points.  The Bulldogs wrested back control late in the term but couldn't translate that into goals, registering five consecutive behinds to lead by 11 points at the long break. 

The second half was a dour struggle and very much a tackle-fest as neither side gave an inch.  That style of match very much suited Liam Picken, who would lay 12 tackles for the day — more than anyone else on the ground — to go with is 33 possessions.  Despite the conditions, each side managed to kick four goals for the quarter and the margin remained at 11 heading into the final quarter. 

As the rain continued to tumble, the big question was whether the young Pups could withstand the inevitable last-quarter surge from Sydney.  And when the Swans dominated the first half of the term to kick 2.3 to take a four-point lead, it looked as though the answer to that question would be ‘no’. 

But the Dogs under 'Bevo' had already developed a resilience and spirit that would take them a long way.  They redoubled their efforts and shut down the Swans' avenues to goal. 

After 10 scoreless minutes, Bob Murphy streamed down the wing and launched the ball deep into attack.  Under extreme pressure, Luke Dahlhaus gathered a loose ball and snapped towards goal.  The ball looked like falling just short, but Easton Wood got to it first, and with a mid-air kick helped it through for a goal to restore the Bulldogs' lead. 

Five minutes later, with the Bulldogs still clinging to a four-point lead, Wood provided some more heroics when he sprinted towards a loose ball deep in defence, with Swans Jake Lloyd and Gary Rohan joining him in the chase.  With seconds remaining, Wood got to the ball first, handpassing it to Jason Johannisen, who in turn handballed it out of danger. 

The siren sounded and the Bulldogs — players, coaches and fans as one — erupted euphorically. 

Murphy described the match as the greatest win of his home-and-away career and put into words what everyone was thinking: "How can you not get emotional about footy?" 

Bob and every Bulldog would experience the full gamut of emotions over the next 17 months as the Dogs journeyed towards a drought-breaking flag.

That journey had begun several months earlier when Bevo and Bob were appointed coach and captain, but it was perhaps that memorable win over Sydney, five years ago today, that solidified a belief that this group of Bulldogs was capable of scaling the premiership mountain.