August 21st in the year 2009 holds somewhat of a special date for the Western Bulldogs. It was on this night, that they last defeated this weekend's opposition – The Geelong Cats. On a chilly night under the roof of Etihad Stadium, the Dogs bounced back from their after-the-siren loss earlier in the year to Geelong to win by 14 points and were set to claim a top four spot for the second consecutive season.
Since that game, the Bulldogs have lost the past 11 games against the Cats. Meaning that nine years have passed without the Sons of the West claiming a victory over this club. Oddly enough, Geelong have only missed out on Finals Football once since 2009 - that being in 2015. So much has happened since this night both around the world and inside the AFL. Which is why in this article today, I would list as many things I possibly can that has happened since the Bulldogs last defeated Geelong nine years ago.
In terms of world events, we've had two Presidents of the United States of America. Barack Obama was in his first year in 2009 and then Donald Trump was sworn in as president in 2017. We've witnessed two Royal Weddings – Kate and William in 2011 and just recently Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. We've had two FIFA World Cups and currently in the process of a third and also two sets of Olympic games – London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. There's also been Brexit, Scotland's vote for independence, the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, the threats of ISIS and of course, the right to have same-sex marriage legalised in Australia, as well as many nations around the globe.
There are so many more other world events I could list, but let's get back to the AFL, starting with the two sides that played on that night. Of the combined 44 players that played for both Geelong and the Western Bulldogs on this occasion, just nine remain in the league today. Jarrod Harbrow, Shaun Higgins, Dale Morris, Liam Picken and Callan Ward were all representing the Bulldogs, and as all of you should know by now. Only Morris and Picken remain on the list to this very day.
The other four are still currently plying their trade for the Cats today. Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins were only in their third season, Harry Taylor, whilst a mature-aged draftee, was in his second year in the AFL system. However, the story of Gary Ablett since this game has been a very fascinating one. After one more season at Geelong, he left at the end of 2010 to join the new team, the Gold Coast Suns. It was at the Suns where he enjoyed some stellar football, but also had some real lows, which led to his return to the Cattery at the end of last season.
That move, in a way, I felt emulated that of NBA superstar and future hall-of-famer LeBron James' quest to go from hometown Cleveland to Miami in the American Summer of 2010 as both men were arguably the best players in their respective sports. But whilst James was in search of championships, Ablett had already achieved that by the time he went to the Gold Coast. Another bizarre similarity is that they both returned home. However, Ablett's departure from the Suns was far less harmonious than LeBron's departure from Miami. However, it was upon his return to Cleveland in that saw LeBron claim the Cavaliers' first NBA title in the history of the franchise in 2016, which is a little bit of history for the basketball buffs.
Back to footy, since that particular game, the league has expanded from 16 teams to 18, with the Greater Western Sydney Giants, joining the competition in 2012, just 12 months after the Suns' stepped into the league. However to this day, the Gold Coast Suns are just fighting for survival and some form of relevancy, whilst the Giants, despite losing their share of young up-and-comers as well, have some stability at the moment and have made the last two Finals' campaigns.
Furthermore, seen a number of rule changes implemented since 2009. Most notably, we've seen the ridiculous substitute rule brought in for the 2011 season, only to be abolished in 2016. The contact below the knees rule, which has been subject to controversy pretty much since day one, and currently as it stands, the AFL are working out a strategy that will reduce congestion in games and bring more of a free-flowing contest, which allows more goals to be kicked. We haven't had any player that has kicked over 100 goals in a season since 2008 - I wonder why?
In 2013, we saw Fremantle play off in their first AFL Grand Final since they were brought into the league in 1995. However, they are still yet to obtain the 'Holy Grail' for the first time as they lost to Hawthorn in the 2013 AFL Grand Final. It was here that saw the Hawks start their quest for the first three-peat since the Brisbane Lions of 2001-03. When this was achieved, we started mentioning Alastair Clarkson's name under the same breath as legendary coaches such as Jock McHale, Ron Barrassi and so many others – four premierships (2008, 2013-15), not to mention an extra Grand Final appearance in 2012.
We've had nine separate Brownlow Medallists from then until now. Gary Ablett won the first of two Brownlow Medals in 2009, eight votes ahead of Carlton's Chris Judd. Ablett won his second in 2013, when he was a Gold Coast Sun. Current superstars of the game such as Dustin Martin, Patrick Dangerfield and Nat Fyfe have won the last three Brownlow Medals. However, it's the 2012 Brownlow Medal that will forever have an asterisk next to its name.
It was in 2013 that saw then Essendon captain Jobe Watson reveal that he was taking a banned substance known as AOD-9604 during the 2012 AFL Season, the season which he won the Brownlow Medal. It was also then revealed by ASADA that majority of the Essendon Football Club - 34 players to be precise - were allegedly admitted Thymosin beta-4, which is also a banned substance.
In 2015, the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal found the 34 Essendon players not guilty, a decision which was overturned thanks to an appeal by WADA in January 2016, forcing all those still on AFL lists, to miss the entire 2016 AFL Season. As a result, this eventually led to the AFL stripping Watson of the Brownlow Medal he had won in 2012 and instead, awarding to both Trent Cotchin and Sam Mitchell, who finished equal second that year.
In something a little more positive, We've also experienced two drought-breaking premierships in this time. The year 2016 will go down as a year I will remember forever, as the Western Bulldogs broke what many believed was unbreakable. A 62-year premiership drought was broken on October 1st 2016 on the back of sheer hunger, determination and skill to put away four good football teams in a miracle month of football. Some will complain that Geelong wasn't in there, and perhaps the Cats could've stopped them, they never reached them.
Yet, 12 months later, The Bulldogs spiralled out of the eight to be the first team since Hawthorn of 2009 to miss the Finals winning a premiership the year before. Whilst that was going on, a new team emerged from the doldrums. Richmond had been a side that had more than its fair share of knockers and critics. Even when they played Finals in recent times, they were the subject of ridicule from general supporters of the game.
They lost to a Carlton team that didn't deserve to be there in 2013, were thumped by Port Adelaide in 2014 and then lost to eighth-placed North Melbourne in 2015. The team took a step backwards in 2016, which heaped way more pressure onto Damien Hardwick ahead of 2017. Even with a few losses that were decided in the final minute in games across the season, the Tigers bounced back in the second half of the year and managed to beat all that came before them, even destroying the Adelaide Crows in the Grand Final, who were arguably, the best team that year. It was their first premiership in 37 years.
It was also in 2017, that we saw the birth of a female AFL competition. Most of you may yawn or complain about this, it is still a landmark event in the history of this game and besides, it has so many years ahead before it truly takes off. It's easy to forget that women have not had as much time as the men have to pick the game up and perfect it, but from what I have seen so far in their first two years, I am extremely confident that it will be just as good as the men.
I know there will be a few things that I might have left out, but my point here is that there has been so many things that have been going on since the Western Bulldogs last beat Geelong. Tomorrow's clash might not be the night that the streak gets broken, but as it has been said in the past – winning streaks were made to be broken.
The Western Bulldogs' time will come soon enough.