Since the Bulldogs entered the VFL competition in 1925, there have been 162 games between the two clubs, but only four contests at the business end of the season.
Despite there being fewer teams in the VFL competition, it wasn’t until 1961 that the teams met in a final, and there was another 31-year wait until the Semi Final of 1992.
The Dogs and Saints then played back-to-back preliminary finals in 2009 and 2010.
The ledger stands at two wins apiece heading into this weekend’s Elimination Final at the Gabba.
Here’s a snapshot of the brief finals history between the Bulldogs and St Kilda:
1961 Semi Final at the MCG (Bulldogs 69 defeated Saints 60)
In front of over 86,000 fans, the Dogs established a 20-point lead by three quarter time and held on to win by nine points. Merv Hobbs booted three goals for the Dogs, with Ted Whitten and John Schultz among his team-mates that day.
1992 Semi Final at Waverley Park (Bulldogs 119 defeated Saints 90)
Chris Grant booted five goals and collected 25 disposals as the Bulldogs comfortably defeated the Saints to reach the Preliminary Final. A dominant first three quarters set up a 55-point advantage at the final change, before the Dogs eased their way to victory.
2009 Preliminary Final at the MCG (Saints 60 defeated Bulldogs 53)
A heart-breaking loss to Bulldogs in a low-scoring affair. The Dogs led for most of the match, and were ahead on the scoreboard in the last quarter heading into time-on, before Nick Riewoldt kicked the final two goals of the game.
2010 Preliminary Final at the MCG (Saints 88 defeated Bulldogs 64)
A year on from their finals exit to St Kilda, the Bulldogs again failed to reach the last Saturday in September. Again, they led at half time (by six points), but a seven-goal third term from the Saints blew the game open and led them to a 24-point win.
