It wouldn’t have been lost on Port Melbourne fans how strong the Footscray presence was at North Port Oval on the weekend, and it certainly wasn’t lost on Bulldogs co-captain Nick Lower.
That the western suburbs have embraced the return of the Footscray name is an understatement and Lower believes a win for his team in Sunday’s VFL Grand Final would be something special not only for the Club but for all of the supporters that have embraced the new team with such fervor.
“The week ahead is fantastic, not just for the team or the greater organisation but also for the community out west, so we’re really looking forward to the challenge ahead, Lower said.
“It’s been a fantastic thing for the Club to have Footscray up in lights once again and it’s been great to see them come to all of the finals and it’s certainly seen a lot of smiles on the faces of people out in the west.”
Led by Lin Jong and Bret Goodes the Bulldogs powered into the Peter Jackson VFL Legendairy Grand Final with a 32 point victory over minor premier Port Melbourne to set up a showdown with Box Hill this Sunday at Etihad Stadium.
But Lower insists that there is more to be gained from the weekend’s game for the team and its supporters than the chance to hold up the cup on Sunday afternoon, echoing the development mantra of Senior Coach Chris Maple.
“We have great opportunities for the younger boys on the VFL list to emerge and grow as players and hopefully our aim as an organisation is to get some of those VFL listed boys onto AFL lists ultimately.”
Having ended the partnership with VFL club Williamstown last season, Footscray, led by Development Manager Chris Maple, has focused less on wins and losses and more on player development and Lower says that the club is reaping the benefits of this strategy.
“It’s reflective in our game. There’s been times in the year that we’ve been challenged quite aggressively at times, certain quarters have been quite tough, and we’ve been able to work our way through them on the back of the training we’ve had.
“So we’re really looking forward to putting it all together and hopefully things fall our way."
