By Benjamin Millar
They were the darkest days in the history of the Bulldogs – but at least one supporter was never in doubt.
Irene Chatfield was the passionate fan who was the public face of the 1989 Footscray Fightback, helping the club to fend off a forced merger with the Fitzroy Lions.
Crippling debt had pushed the club to the brink of a merger or extinction, but neither option would do for the die-hards.
Watching her beloved Bulldogs train on Tuesday morning, Ms Chatfield said she never once imagined life without them as a stand-alone team.
“Even when I walked out of court, I never doubted it at all,” she said of legal proceedings that provided a stay of execution.
“All of the supporters stood up when it counted – it’s the passion of the fans. We have always been the underdogs and have never given up.”
And stand up they did – more than 10,000 people attended a rally at the Western Oval on October 8, 1989 forging a fightback that raised more than $1.6 million within three weeks.
Three decades on, the Western Bulldogs are commemorating the most significant period in the history of the red, white and blue.
The round 17 AFL game against Melbourne on July 14 will be the Fightback Round.
Players will don Fightback guernseys and the Footscray-Casey Demons VFL game will be staged as the curtain-raiser to the AFL at Marvel Stadium.
Legendary captain Bob Murphy is hosting a podcast and video series exploring the people who played key roles in saving the club in 1989.
Fans will be invited to vote in a countdown of the top 30 most significant Footscray/Western Bulldogs moments from the past 30 years.
Ms Chatfield said highlights of that time had included Brownlow Medal wins by Tony Liberatore, Scott Wynd and Adam Cooney, capped by the 2016 premiership win.
“I’m looking forward to the next 30 years,” she said. “I’ll be 100 then, but have no doubt I’ll still be here cheering them on.”
