Kill the word THE
Yes the word THE– so
Kill it, obliterate it, destroy it, vanquish it, dispose of it, disappear it, cancel it.
Well we can use whatever expression you want but the end result is just this
Remove it!
An unlikely situation here for this website because in this chapter we are to some extent “going into bat” for Western.*
Yes (the direction word) for when it has been substituted by the word the.
Putting one of the 4 cardinal directions into the name is something this website will argue against for ever (or at least until Geelong and the other 8 Melbourne clubs finally start doing it)
How weird though that the direction has been superseded by another word- the more meaningless the! This proves that Western is redundant and pointless. You are either 80 % of the time not using Western or the other 20% of the time having to put “the” in front of the Western word
* (Oh well Fitzroy fans did actually barrack for Collingwood their bitter traditional enemies from across the Smith Street divide in a game once – the last round of 1984 – so these thing can happen)
There is no THE in the name of the club
There is no THE in the club name. So unlike the very few who do or did have the within their title.
Two examples:
(a) The soccer team from the Scottish league – Queen of the South
&
(b) The English soccer team that was formerly The Wednesday. They later replaced the word “The” with Sheffield to be Sheffield Wednesday back in 1929. Further down the page deals with the Wednesday situation in greater depth.
So why is the club or team referred to as the Bulldogs rather than Western Bulldogs? Was not the idea of the name change to widen the appeal of the club by having the name as a region rather than just another suburb of Melbourne?
Question: What is the difference between Antarctica and the Arctic? One doesn’t have the in front of it yet the other one does?
Answer: Antarctica is an actual land mass and “The Arctic” is not a land mass
So why is the used either to replace or precede the Western word?
You never seen this written like this or spoken in this way –
The Round 4 clash played on Friday 28th March 2025 at the Marvel was The Carlton vs The Bulldogs
The Round 7 clash that took place on Sunday 20th April 2025 at the Marvel was The Bulldogs vs The St Kilda
The Round 9 of 2025 – the clash in Ballarat between the Western Bulldogs and the Port Power or was it just The Bulldogs and the Port Power? Whichever it was hopefully they dropped the word Port so it became just The Bulldogs vs The Power. Because whatever they called the team from Adelaide for that game in Ballarat there was neither THE PORT POWER nor THE PORT ADELAIDE
You will hear something like this though-
Round 6 of 2025 was Gather Round and on Saturday 12th April 2025 the Western Bulldogs took on the Brisbane Lions,
So the Brisbane word is crucial – it must be mentioned prior to the Lions word seemingly to portray the continuity of Fitzroy 1996 into 1997 and Brisbane Lions. However there is no real importance for the Western word to always be there – for the continuity of Footscray in 1996 into 1997 and Western Bulldogs. If the western is left off then it is no big deal or so what as bulldogs or the bulldogs is will always be sufficient. Western is expendable despite it being argued by all those that accepted the name change, that for that the club to survive it had to widen its appeal by removing Footscray to replace it with the cardinal direction. We have to be a region
Well I am still searching for a region or even just a suburb in Melbourne that is Bulldogs or The Bulldogs. Two Melbourne suburbs with their postcodes can be found in a Melway street directory. The Basin 3154 & The Patch 3792. Yet there is no Bulldogs or The Bulldogs so no therefore no postcode.
Then there is another situation where Western has the placed before it – as in the Western Bulldogs instead or just Western Bulldogs
Ever seen this one –
The 2011 Grand Final was Collingwood v The Geelong Cats
Well if you did, then you would never see this one
The 2011 Grand Final was The Collingwood v The Geelong Cats
American culture- we have to follow them
Funny how some AFL TEAMS just love copying American culture in this country – especially in following how they say their or someone else’s sporting team. Except the Victorian AFL teams don’t, bar ONE club
The Dallas Cowboys are playing the Buffalo Bills
The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the Minnesota Vikings
This has carried on into the AFL amongst the expansion teams and the Western Bulldogs
“One of the 2006 Preliminary Finals was between the Adelaide Crows and the West Coast Eagles (sometimes they leave off the word eagles)
“Lachie Neale has won two Brownlow Medals with the Brisbane Lions after they recruited him from the Fremantle Dockers.
But you won’t hear-
Tom Mitchell won a Brownlow Medal with the Collingwood after they recruited him from the Hawthorn
If this whole “the” addition to the name was applied throughout then –
Some might argue against this by saying that there are two words in Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings unlike the one word for Collingwood and Hawthorn. That is true about the two and one word, but what about this –
A player with the name Teasdale has won two Brownlow medals – Graham Teasdale in 1977 and then in 1989 a retrospective Brownlow was awarded to Noel Teasdale in 1965, Graham and Noel for South Melbourne and North Melbourne respectively.
You would never see that written as –
A player with the name Teasdale has won two Brownlow medals – Graham Teasdale in 1977 and then in 1989 a retrospective Brownlow was awarded to Noel Teasdale for 1965, Graham and Noel, for the South Melbourne and the North Melbourne respectively.
Though it needs to be said that South Melbourne like Footscray regularly endures the situation of not the traditional name being not mentioned at the expanse of the nickname. So it would probably be often written as this
A player with the name Teasdale has won two Brownlow medals – Graham Teasdale in 1977 and then in 1989 a retrospective Brownlow was awarded to Noel Teasdale in 1965, Graham and Noel, for the Swans and North Melbourne respectively
One more aside to this- if this was written between 1999 and 2007 it would probably be presented as this
A player with the name Teasdale has won two Brownlow medals – Graham Teasdale in 1977 and then in 1989 a retrospective Brownlow was awarded to Noel Teasdale in 1965, Graham and Noel, for the Swans and The Kangaroos respectively
Funny how we don’t follow Europe here with the as in –
The Atletico Madrid vs The Real Madrid
The Bayern Munich vs The Borussia Dortmund
The Aston Villa vs The Birmingham City
The Manchester City vs The Manchester United
The Everton vs The Liverpool
The Ipswich Town vs The Norwich City
The Carlton vs The Collingwood,
The Essendon vs The Geelong,
The Hawthorn vs The Melbourne,
The Richmond vs The St Kilda
& in the past NEVER was it
The Fitzroy vs The South Melbourne
Or
The Footscray vs The North Melbourne.
Of the last 4 names, North Melbourne since 2008 are the same as the first 8 mentioned. There is no THE in front of North Melbourne, unlike when how they had it for The Kangaroos in those 1999-2007 seasons
To be the outsider looking in – would you like it to be your club?
Dale Kickett played Aussie Rules football at the highest level for five teams. Those clubs were Fitzroy, West Coast, St Kilda, the bombers and Fremantle.
Tommy Hafey was connected to four clubs at the highest level. Those clubs were Richmond, the magpies, Geelong and Sydney.
The journey throughout football of the 1988 Brownlow Medallist involved 4 clubs- in sequence (a) the team he supported as a teenager, (b) his first club as a player, (c) his second club as a player where he won the Brownlow Medal (d) the club that drafted him. (Though he never played for them)
So Gerard Healy’s story in sequence takes in St Kilda, the demons, Sydney and Collingwood.
Michael Malthouse was involved with six clubs at the highest level. Those clubs were St Kilda, the tigers, Footscray, West Coast, Collingwood and Carlton
Terry Wallace could point out a connection with six clubs in his football tale. He spent years in a major role with three of them and the other three were what might have been. Terry followed Club 1, running around wearing their jumper kicking the footy in the backyard and local parks as a young lad. Then what could have been turning out at Club 2 (whom he was residentially tied) never eventuated as they relinquished their option on him, so he moved to Club 3 whom he did represent and achieved plenty. After years there at the highest level, he became a player at Club 4 for one season before moving to Club 5 coaching both Club 5 club before moving back to coach Club 4. In between Club 4 and Club 5 he was considered almost a certainty to become coach of what would have been Club 6 but a fan campaign at Club 6 to install a previous player, foiled what would have been a move to them as senior coach. Though this did work out that he managed to have a second stint as a senior coach, back at Club 4.
A more straight to the point way of looking Terry‘s half dozen clubs are in order – Melbourne, Fitzroy, the hawks, Richmond, Footscray and Sydney. With the two spells at Richmond, his actual sequence was Melbourne, Fitzroy, the hawks, Richmond, Footscray, Sydney & back to Richmond
However you can be assured though that if someone copied this above about Michael Malthouse and Terry Wallace – they would have to have it written or spoken it like this–
Michael Malthouse was involved with six clubs at the highest level. Those clubs were St Kilda, Richmond, the bulldogs, West Coast, Collingwood and Carlton
Terry Wallace in his 65 + years has had six clubs on his radar, Melbourne, Fitzroy, Hawthorn, Richmond, the bulldogs and Sydney
It is not consistently applied to situations with other Victorian clubs
But the word THE only seems to apply to the red, white and blue club. Although Sydney can and does endure it sometimes (albeit it to a lesser extent but still annoyingly enough for the South Melbourne stalwart) – The swans is often used to be the bridge between what they were in 1981 and before and what they became from 1982 and onwards. Yet old time Fitzroy loyalists don’t see The Lions doesn’t becoming the “compromise/ bridge the gap” word as often as what Swans and Bulldogs fans do with South Melbourne and Footscray
The 2009 Grand Final was fought out between The St Kilda Saints & The Geelong Cats
The Friday night 2024 Elimination final at the MCG was the bulldogs vs the Hawthorn
Jake Stringer left the bulldogs and moved to the Essendon.
Jordan Roughead left the Western Bulldogs and moved to the Collingwood
Yet if those two words “Football Club” were missing, then you can be assured that it would not be written as
Jordan Roughead played for the Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs
Yet we love our “the” word.
The Showdown is between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power (sometimes the word power is dropped)
The Western Derby is between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers
The Battle of the Bridge is between the Sydney Swans and the GWS Giants
The Q clash is between Brisbane Lions and the Gold Coast Suns
Now one to consider- this one that would be great for those who think they are humorous and original with their insults towards these two fan bases
The “Stereotype Derby”
Could be the official name of the clash played on a Monday Public Holiday
The “Off to the snow fans” vs “Missing teeth fans”
(By the way do Hawthorn supporters go to the snow?)
Then another cut to the name and that is no bull
Then another word is often dropped the word – BULL
Yes further abbreviate it so The Bulldogs become just the ‘The dogs’
So the word the remains – there is no dogs on its own, dogs must have the before it
One match day commentator on AM Radio always annoys and frustrates me with this below and he should know and do better as he comes from Footscray
“It is the 25 minute mark and the score is”
Hawthorn 5.4.34 the dogs 5.4.34
We are halfway through the 3rd quarter it is
The Dogs 10.12.72, Richmond 10.12.72
I hope when he calls Hawthorn games against the team they were not rivals with back in 1982 and also gives the score as
“It is the 25 minute mark and the score is”
Hawthorn 5.4.34 the dons 5.4.34
This long standing media performer continually calls us ‘the dogs” during his commentary. If he was to give the score as
“It is the dogs 5.8.38 the pies 5.8.38”
Well it is at least consistent, but the Hawthorn and Richmond examples are so frustrating and annoying
The Bulldogs- replacing the name of the ground
Then using the expression “The bulldogs” for what we know as home- the Western Oval or Whitten Oval
Years ago (around 2010?) I was at a mates place in Footscray and a bloke he knows comes around to his house. My mate and this bloke didn’t grow up in Footscray, but they both moved into their respective Footscray homes from another suburb (the same one actually) north of the Maribyrnong River. Anyway mate’s pal walks in sits down and then explains how he has just got back from “The Bulldogs”
Now why wouldn’t he say I have just got back from the Whitten Oval where he was watching training or buying merchandise from the shop or whatever else he was there for? I clearly remember him saying it because he hesitated before speaking the words “The Bulldogs” it wasn’t natural as normally you would say in one line- “I have just come back from the Whitten Oval”
He gave me the impression that he stopped and thought about it to prevent himself from saying the Whitten Oval – as it is these days you just have to say “The bulldogs” Now this bloke (my mates pal) didn’t follow Footscray growing up, (I think he was Carlton?) though his father definitely was a Footscray supporter. Maybe he either have got sick of Carlton in the mid 2000’s when they fell away and their collecting premierships changed to collecting wooden spoons. Or maybe he changed teams because he moved into Footscray and thought well I am living here now, I should support where I live. Or maybe he is one of the few who likes the name change and felt represented by it? Well if he liked the name change and that’s the reason he could have stayed in Avondale Heights as western surely caters for them doesn’t it? Anyway I suppose it is good he barracks for the club now.
He isn’t also the only one to speak in this manner- I have seen many people about to use the Footscray word or the Whitten Oval and then pause hesitate and then say The Bulldogs. Like they are about to swear and then just manage to stop and “correct” their speech.
So many others speak like this as well, I was at the bulldog’s yesterday- watching training.
How many other supporter bases speak with the same dedication to only saying the nickname- with the in front of it?
“I was at the tigers this morning watching training”
“I went down to the cats today to watch them train”
“I played the pokies and then had lunch there at the bombers”
“I am going to watch the AFLW game today at the kangaroos”
Answer: None
Because they would all say this
“I was at Punt Road this morning watching training”
“I was at Kardinia Park today to watch them train”
“I played the pokies and then had lunch there at Windy Hill”
“I am going to watch the AFLW game today at Arden Street”
The Wednesday & Sheffield Wednesday
A bit of information about Sheffield Wednesday as we know them now and what they were before as The Wednesday
Here is a brief snip from a chart from Wikipedia displaying some of the English soccer champions, the Runners – Up and the 3rd placed team from the First Division as it was then (pre 1992-1993 season)
The Wednesday were a successful team from this first snip
Then after a quieter time of around 20 years this span takes in their second golden era
But one thing very noticeable is how they were champions in the 1928-1929 season and then champions again the following season in 1929-1930 having changed their name in between their two title winning campaigns.
Now this chart takes in their three F.A. Cup victories. Two as ‘The Wednesday ‘their 3rd and last (at this point 2025) as ‘Sheffield Wednesday’.
They have won more of the two major trophies in England as “The Wednesday” than “Sheffield Wednesday”.
They did win a League Cup in 1991, but that competition came into being in the early 1960’s way after 1929.
There are those who support the idea that the final decision about what a clubs name should be is best decided as to whatever has been the more successful of the 2 (or 3 or more if applicable), So whether the name remains as the altered option or reverts back to what it was before the change, they will vouch for it to remain or revert to what has been more successful. By looking at those charts above then some in South Yorkshire, might subscribe to the theory of reverting back to pre1929. Well a ‘change it back’ type movement could gain some traction – maybe beginning with a website named this below or something similar
The Wednesday Not Sheffield Wednesday (TWNSW)
Somehow though I doubt there is much groundswell amongst the Wednesday faithful for ‘The’ to return and replace ‘Sheffield’ despite the above statistics.
They have some major problems now as 2026 approaches having gone into Administration and it seems inevitable that will be relegated to “the 3rd tier” for the 2026-2027 season.
”Yet you can be pretty confident that Sheffield Wednesday will always be more popular than The Wednesday. I would always argue that it is better than the name they had back then in 1929 which actually provided them more success. One thing for sure- I am sure no one is considering rebranding them the Southern Owls
Who can Remember 1996 but cannot recall 1977?
A more local comparison here in Australia would be to find out who is old enough to remember the 1996 AFL season but has no recollection of the 1977 VFL season? There would be quite a few of them, because anyone under 50 years of age wouldn’t recall the 1977 season. Which means that everyone under the age of 50 have seen the same number of Premierships won by ‘Kangaroos’ as won by ‘North Melbourne’. One each for those not familiar, 1996 was North Melbourne and 1999 was Kangaroos. Now does anyone know any fans of the team from Arden Street that wants them to go back to their 1999-2007 era name – Kangaroos? Maybe there are a small few but wherever they are, they are not really making a song and dance about it.
What can we do?
They keep calling us The Bulldogs but no one else gets ‘the’ at the front of their name as frequently as we do. So what can we do?
One small free bit of gratification is to parrot it back to them assuming you know who they follow. Be it the spoken word or even better handwritten or in email form. Like a footy tipping competition as this example
This was my tips from *Round 2 of 2025… If one opposition fan keep using “the bulldogs”, do it back to them like I have done here with these tips that I remember from that Round 2.
Carlton, Hawthorn, the cats, Brisbane, Collingwood, Footscray, Adelaide, Greater, Gold
Or email your tips in another way- like this below so you are covering all and not just the Geelong supporter above.
The blues, the hawks, the cats, the lions, the magpies, Footscray, the crows, the giants, the suns
Yes I think St Kilda, the tigers, Melbourne and Carlton will improve in 2026
(Making sure that you emphasise both the words- the and tigers- especially the)
Be a real smart alec-
Answer back to an opposition fan like this – if they say something like this –
“I am going to the game between the bombers and the bulldogs” –
Well don’t be a smart alec to them because that is alright where they have mentioned both nicknames and also both had the in front of the nickname
However if they were to say
“I am going next week to see Essendon v The bulldogs”
Fire back with –
“So who are The bulldogs- I can’t see where the word the is there in our name- I have never heard of your mob as The Essendon
Or even better according to the situation depending who the person talking to you follows- then only use the- don’t bother with bulldogs or dogs or Western (of course Western will NEVER be uttered or written without bulldogs following it)
“Hey mate your mob “The Bulldogs” should go alright in 2026
Yes with Darcy’s brother now on the list, I am really confident that “The” will go alright in 2026
*By the way well played AFL TABLES Website who wrote it as Round 2 rather than the erroneously named by the AFL and followed by many others as Round 1
Perhaps this could be moved to a grander legal authority – We demand an end to the THE word, how about we escalate it to –
The High Court in Canberra?
Not high enough?
Want to get real fair dinkum justice served for us Footscray soldiers
Well maybe the big one that has its headquarters in Europe – here is some of the address
International Court of Justice
The Hague
The Netherlands
