Packed to rafters at
HE was part of the hype and hysteria that surrounded Geelong’s 2007 grand final preparations. And he was part of the adulation and excitement of bringing the first of three premierships to a city starved of success.
But Joel Corey, a threetime premiership player at Geelong, has never experienced anything quite like the atmosphere at Whitten Oval yesterday.
“It’s a big turnout, isn’t it?” Corey told the media throng outside the Western Bulldogs training facility.
“I can’t say I’ve been involved in such a big turn out for a training session,” he said.
“It’s fantastic for the boys to experience it and from now on it will be more (about) focus, enjoy the parade tomorrow and be ready come Saturday.”
The Dogs’ spiritual home was awash in red, white and blue yesterday as thousands packed the stands and the lawn around Whitten Oval to watch their heroes go through their paces during the open training session.
Fans flooded into the EJ Whitten Stand to the tune of Sons of the West from a brass section on the concourse, while stars of the 1954 and 1961 teams watched on from the terraces. President Peter Gordon received a kind ovation as he lapped the boundary to thank supporters, who anxiously awaited the arrival of the players.
Eventually, after a halfhour wait, the Grand Finalbound squad emerged to a thunderous applause.
The siren sounded and the players broke off into their warm-up.
There was more cheer to come for Doggies fans, though, as favourite son “Bob” Murphy jogged lap after lap.
He received arguably the biggest and most continuous roar of the day as he moved around the ground.
Soon enough, the session ended.
For some, it was one last chance to see their beloved team before the big dance.
For others, it was simply another opportunity to mix with the faithful ahead of the biggest moment in the club’s history.
Local football identity and Bulldogs tragic Ricky O’Toole was on cloud nine as he departed Whitten Oval yesterday. O’Toole was overwhelmed to be back in the club’s heartland. “It was amazing,” he said. “They said 12,000 were there and that’s unbelievable. It felt like more and you got a taste of what it was like when they used to play there.”
Having never experienced the ultimate success as a player or a fan, O’Toole said the past month had been a whirlwind. “I never expected us to win a final, to be honest,” he said. “There were a lot of older people who have been barracking for the Dogs for 50 or 60 years and they haven’t had success.
“Being up at the game in Sydney, I can’t remember ever feeling that enjoyment . . . even when I played.”
Werribee’s Bruce Watson, who has been a member of the Dogs for more than 30 years and 26 years in succession, has been caught up in the hype.
He was one of the first to greet the victorious players at Melbourne Airport on Saturday night and has been gripped in grand final fever.
“It’s hard to speak without getting emotional about it,” Watson said. “It’s unreal. I was