Dogs Of War lines up a kick for goal from the sideline...
1998: A season to remember part 2.
Read Part 1 by clicking here
Recap: Watching Foxtel, entered a competition, won 2 grand final tickets, $700 and a chance to win a car. Bulldogs remarkable run to firstly qualify for the finals, and then their performance in the semis sets the stage for what comes next…
So I had go down to Miranda Fair to select a key to start the car. We got to meet Andrew Ettinghausen, as he was the face of the competition. They introduced us all to the crowd, and as I had won the first week of the competition, I got to select my key first. All the keys had been placed in envelopes, which has had then been placed in a barrel. The barrel was spun and I was herded up to select a key from the Barrel. Maybe God was smiling down on me that day, I don’t know, but when I looked in the barrel, all bar one envelope was on one side. I selected the odd one out. All the other contestants then selected their key while the anticipation of the chance to try the key out grew in my mind. By this time hundreds of people had stopped to take a stickybeak at what was happening.
And then the big moment came, I was called out to try and start the car, Andrew Ettinghausen wished me luck, I hoped in the car and placed the key in the ignition. I turned the key and the reds came on, I had won. So I started the car and beeped the horn. The crowd went wild! I won a Nissan Pulsar.
But for me, the best part was yet to come. The Bulldogs had qualified in all 3 grades on grand final day. A Bulldog-fest!
We arrived at the ground early to make sure didn’t miss any of the action, but somehow had managed to still miss the first 10 minutes of Jersey Flegg. It didn’t matter as the Bulldogs romp home.
By this point not many had turned up, but we were making a day of it, our tickets where right on halfway and we were surrounded by Parramatta Supporters. Lucky for us the reserve grade game was Parramatta vs. Bulldogs, and after last weeks efforts in First Grade we were excited about the match, well were until Parramatta raced to a 22-2 lead, but then my Mate started a chant. “70 Minutes Parra”, to which I turned around to him and remind him that reserve grade only goes for 70 minutes. It was soon amended to “60 Minutes Parra!”. And then it happened! On the 60-minute mark, the Bulldogs start their comeback. 22-2 soon became 24-22 to the Bulldogs. I thought I’d seen the best comeback from behind in the finals the week before in first grade. But this topped it by far. The Parramatta Supporters who had been so vocal during the game had fell silenced, we were crazed Bulldogs supporters who believed that this was our day, nothing could go wrong! We downed another couple of beers, geez, at this point it must have been about 10 each, but as the sun beat down upon us, it felt like a million.
Anyway, the Main Event started, and the Bulldogs played great from the outset, it was great stuff. Those Broncos who had been so dominate all years where being outplayed, and out muscled by the Bulldogs who never say die. The Bulldogs went to the break leading 12-10.
The second half was a blur, I don’t know if it was because of all the alcohol we had consumed, maybe it was just our minds not wanting to accept what was happening on the field as the Broncos laid on try after try. Their would be no great comeback this week, but their was one thing that we could lay claim to. So we started to chant as we left the ground “We are the best in New South Wales…Do Dah, Do Dah!
Nothing could take this moment away, watching the Bulldogs win 2 grand finals and lose one all in one day, winning the car, the money, the grand final tickets and most importantly, the memories I will always keep of that great 1998 season.
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