The Western Bulldogs is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 in Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne, the club won nine premierships in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) before gaining entry to the Victorian Football League in 1925. The club has won two VFL/AFL premierships, in 1954 and 2016, and was runner up in 1961. It has also claimed one premiership in the AFL Women's competition, in 2018, having been a foundation member of the league the previous year.
Matthew James Lloyd is a former professional Australian rules footballer, who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
In Australian rules football, the followers are the players in the three positions- ruckman, ruck rover, and rover. These three players are known as followers because they have traditionally been used as players that follow the ball all around the ground, as opposed to playing in a set position. In recent years, there has been a decreased emphasis on set positions in Australian football. Followers still cover more ground than any other player on the field.
Brian Lake is a former professional Australian rules footballer Who played for the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He now plays for his local club Caroline Springs in the Western Region Football League, who won their first premiership in 2016.
Luke Hodge is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 2002 to 2017, captaining the club from 2011 to 2016. In 2018, Hodge moved to the Brisbane Lions, before retiring in 2019. Hodge started his career playing on the half-back flank but as his career progressed he has been known to push up into the midfield. He is a four-time premiership player, three-time premiership captain and a two-time Norm Smith Medallist. Hodge is widely regarded as one of the most respected players, in particular as a captain, to have ever participated in the sport.
Jade Rawlings is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the AFL with the Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne Football Clubs. He served as the caretaker coach of the Richmond Football Club for 11 games in 2009, and has served as the backline coach of the Melbourne Football Club since September 2011.
John Barker is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club, Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Matthew Keith Boyd is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Before joining the Bulldogs, Boyd had played for Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup and Frankston in the VFL. He currently holds the record for the most AFL games played by a player recruited from the rookie draft. Boyd is the grand nephew of Australian football vendor icon Johnny Boyd, known as the Peanut Man.
Martin Mattner is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was traded to Sydney from the Crows in October 2007 in exchange for draft pick number 28.
Ben Hudson is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club, Western Bulldogs, Brisbane Lions and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as the defensive skills, ruck and forwards coach at the Brisbane Lions since September 2014. He was also the ruck coach for Collingwood after being selected as a mature age rookie player in the 2012 rookie draft.
Luke Brennan is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.
Matthew Little is an Australian rules footballer, who has previously played for the Hawthorn Football Club, in the Australian Football League (AFL). Little won the Frosty Miller Medal in 2010. Currently, Little plays for the Bendigo Bombers in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
The 1996 AFL draft was held at the conclusion of the 1996 Australian Football League (AFL) season. The inaugural rookie draft was held with the 1997 pre-season draft.
Luke Beveridge is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne, Footscray and St Kilda in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the 1990s. He is currently the head coach of the Western Bulldogs.
Matthew Suckling is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Suckling is known as a player with precision kicking and link-up play from the Bulldog's defence. Characteristic of his style of play is his very long range, very accurate kicking.
Michael Coad is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with Australian Football League (AFL) club Gold Coast.
Matthew Bourke is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and Fitzroy in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Brent Frewen is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy in the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1996. He was recruited from the South Mildura Football Club in the Sunraysia Football League with the 4th selection in the 1996 Pre-season Draft. He was Fitzroy's final ever selection in an AFL Draft. After Fitzroy merged with Brisbane Bears to form the Brisbane Lions, he was recruited by Richmond in the 1996 AFL Draft, but never played a senior game for Richmond, being delisted at the end of the 1997 season.
Billy Gowers is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by the Carlton Football Club with their first selection and fifth overall in the 2015 rookie draft. He spent two years on Carlton's list before he was delisted at the end of the 2016 season without playing a senior AFL match. He spent the 2017 season playing with Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL) before he was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with their first selection and ninth overall in the 2018 rookie draft. In his debut year, Gowers was the leading goal kicker for the Western Bulldogs by kicking 26 goals out of 20 games. He made his debut in the eighty-two point loss to Greater Western Sydney at UNSW Canberra Oval in the opening round of the 2018 season. He is the son of 1991 Hawthorn premiership player, Andrew Gowers.
Patrick Wilson is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL). He made his debut in round 13 of the 2018 season against Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
