It's always fun to look back on some of the Western Bulldogs' recent special moments and to celebrate the stories of long gone Footscray champions.
Sometimes, though, we can learn a little bit more about the club's history by delving into the stories of some lesser-known Bulldogs.
Take Ralph Greenhalgh, born 121 years ago today, for example. Even if you are a dyed-in-the-wool Doggie, you're doing very well if you recognise his name. Greenhalgh only played two seasons at Western Oval, but by all accounts they were most impressive ones.
Ralph Horatio Greenhalgh was born in Broadford, about 75km north of Melbourne. Little is known about Greenhalgh's childhood, but what we do know is that on his 19th birthday, May 8, 1917 — by which time he was already a teacher at Preston State School — he enlisted in the army.
After three months' training at Broadmeadows, Greenhalgh set sail for England and France, but on the way, he contracted the Spanish flu and was spent some time in the ship's hospital.
Greenhalgh had recovered by the time of his arrival in London in December 1918, which was fortunately several weeks after the Armistice of 11 November 1918 brought World War I to an end.
After spending time in France with the 6th battalion, Private Greenhalgh returned to Australia in September 1919 to resume civilian life as a teacher. By 1924, Greenhalgh was playing for Croydon in the Yarra Valley Football League, and over the next three seasons he established himself as a star defender.
Greenhalgh's time at Croydon culminated with him being chaired off the ground after Croydon defeated Warburton in the 1926 Grand Final. By this time, Greenhalgh was now teaching in Melbourne's west at Sunshine State School, and his footballing prowess had attracted the attention of Footscray's talent scouts.
Invited to train with the Bulldogs in the 1927 pre-season, Greenhalgh made an immediate impression at centre-half back in practice matches and was included on Footscray's list.
After serving an 'apprenticeship' in the seconds, Greenhalgh made his VFL debut 20 in Round 5, 20 days after his 28th birthday.
Greenhalgh showed enough on debut to hold his place in the side, and took his chance with both hands. He played every game for the remainder of the season, earning praise in the newspaper sports pages for his fine marking and his "electrifying dashes" out of defence.
After missing the opening game of the following season, Greenhalgh played every remaining match in 1928 except one, which he missed after he "injured the sinews in the calf of his leg".
His 16 games in 1928 took Ralph Greenhalgh’s total to 30 but, just as suddenly as his career had blossomed, it was over. By August 1930, Greenhalgh’s teaching career had taken him to the town of Murrayvale, a few miles out of Swan Hill. His career, which began at age 28, was over before he turned 30.
One wonders how many more games he might have played had his talents been discovered earlier.
Ralph Greenhalgh died on Christmas Eve 1965, aged 66, and while his star as a top-level footballer burned only briefly, it certainly burned brightly, and his two fine seasons at the Bulldogs are worth remembering on the 121st anniversary of his birth.
