AVAILABLE NOW
FRAMED LITHOGRAPH. LIMITED EDITION OF 400. $495
FRAMED LITHOGRAPH SIGNED BY MARCUS BONTEMPELLI. LIMITED EDITION OF 100. $695 –
MEDIUM CANVAS – LIMITED EDION OF 25. 130CM X 52CM. $1195
LARGE CANVAS. LIMITED EDITION OF 25. 180CM X 72CM. $2195
PAINTING STORY
FROM THE ARTIST
It is a privilege to have been entrusted with this commission, celebrating the Western Bulldogs / Footscray Football Club on the centenary of its entry to the VFL/AFL. My own artistic journey with this great club has stretched over three decades, and with every brushstroke I have felt the weight of its tradition, the heartbeat of its community, and the spirit of those who have worn the red, white and blue.
At 3 metres by 1.2, this oil on canvas is a tapestry of memory, pride, and enduring spirit. Woven from hundreds of images, stories, and moments, it brings together 25 of the club’s greatest in a dressing-room celebration that can only live here in paint.
From the pioneers of the 1920s to the champions of today, these legends share one room, one story, one dream. Some are shown in the defining moments of their careers but all are united by the same jumper. Together, they embody a century of resilience, triumph, heartbreak, and unbreakable Bulldog pride.
This is a ‘Dressing Room of Dreams’. A place where time bends and legends gather, where every supporter is invited to step inside, to feel the joy, and to remember why this club represents so much more than just the game.
LEFT TO RIGHT
The scene begins with two warriors of 2016, guardians of a dream fulfilled. Dale Morris, heart swelling with the purest joy, relives ‘that’ moment after the final siren when it all became real: “We’ve done it!” Across the room, his great mate Matthew Boyd meets his gaze, sharing that same exhausted, glorious elation. Together they stand as gatekeepers, welcoming us into this impossible celebration.
Beside Morris, 300-gamer, captain, and eternal Bulldog Robert ‘Bob’ Murphy embraces almost a century of club history. One arm draws in his former teammate, the other holds 1930 Brownlow Medallist, Allan ‘Banana Legs’ Hopkins. Though injury kept Murphy from assuming the captain’s role on that famous day at the MCG in 2016, his leadership was the soul of that triumph, acknowledged forever when coach Luke Beveridge invited him on stage and placed his own premiership medal around Murphy’s neck. Out of respect, I have left the medal unseen here, but every Bulldog knows the meaning of that gesture.
Murphy’s adornments and open locker tell more of his story: a microphone in the pocket of one of his two trademark denim shirts nods to his wit, words, and media craft. The pen behind his ear recalls his handwritten letters to club legend John Schultz, their correspondence continuing until Schultz’s passing in 2024 – a friendship captured in ink as much as in football.
Hopkins, one of the club’s first great centremen, proudly displays his long-awaited Brownlow Medal. Though tied on votes in 1930, a flawed countback system denied him until justice was served nearly 60 years later, when the VFL/AFL retrospectively awarded his medal in 1989. At last, his greatness shines as it always should have.
Nearby, modern champions Brad Johnson and Chris Grant – friends, teammates, and pillars of Bulldog firepower – share an embrace. Johnson, decorated with three Charles Sutton Medals and with a goldfish in an ice bag at his feet, a memory of a kids’ TV appearance gone slightly awry. Grant, the towering centre-half forward, holds a 20-cent coin from a young fan, Ryan Adams, who begged him to stay loyal when rival clubs came knocking. That coin, with the accompanying letter tucked into his shorts, was money well spent.
Taking a well-earned rest, the indomitable Scott West, draped with the weight of a record seven best and fairest medals, shares a quiet moment with Caesar the mascot. His record speaks louder than any words: tireless, unbreakable, Bulldog to the core.
Simon ‘The Pie Man’ Beasley, 1985 Coleman Medallist and seven-time leading goalkicker, sets the tone of celebration, pie in one hand, Vintage 1985 champagne spraying in the other. He turns the room into a party, with the laughter of old teammates echoing around him.
AFLW superstar Ellie Blackburn sits adorned with her own “bling”. To date she has amassed five club best and fairest medals, three All-Australian selections, was captain for the 2018 premiership win and is the current games record-holder for the women’s team. Midfield dynamo, fearless forward, proud leader – her story is still being written, and her place among the greats already assured.
THE CLASS OF ’54
At the very heart of this scene rises the legendary Charlie Sutton, captain-coach of the Bulldogs’ first premiership side in 1954. The flow of figures in the painting leads our eye to him, as though all roads converge at this moment of triumph. A glass of beer in one hand, the premiership cup in the other, Sutton is forever the symbol of Bulldog resilience and breakthrough glory. His famous mantra – “Shop early and avoid the rush” – stands on the wall behind him, a reminder of the man’s coaching acumen, humour and grit.
Beside him, as always, is his trusted vice-captain Wally Donald, loyal and steadfast, sharing the glow of that hard-won flag. Completing the trinity is Jack Collins, whose seven goals on that unforgettable day sealed the club’s first premiership. With both hands full, he raises seven fingers high – a gesture as simple as it is historic.
CENTRE STAGE
Yet the story does not end in 1954. Below them, Ted Whitten’s hand reaches across time, ruffling the flowing locks of modern-day champion Marcus Bontempelli. Cheeky grin in place, we can just imagine Whitten’s words: “You wouldn’t get away with that in my day son!”. Bontempelli, clad in the 100-year centenary jumper of 2025, clasps the 2016 cup with a mixture of exhaustion and joy that speaks to every supporter’s heart. Here, perhaps the two greatest Bulldogs ever – ‘Mr Football’ and ‘The Bont’ – share a moment we can only dream of: two eras colliding, two legends sharing a moment, side by side.
Above Whitten on the wall hangs his immortal line: “You’ve got to inspire me”. He is deliberately placed directly beneath his hero Arthur Olliver, with whom he shared the famous No.3 jersey. In Whitten’s locker hangs his coaching trenchcoat, and the words of the great man’s legendary speech. A big V on the door reminds us of his Victorian pride, but more than that, his role as the heartbeat of this club.
Doug ‘The Hawk’ Hawkins, beer in hand, rests his palm on Ted’s shoulder – a gesture of respect from the man who surpassed Whitten’s games record in 1994. Behind him, Olliver stands deep in conversation with fellow legends of the centre circle Gary Dempsey and Scott Wynd, sharing their ruck craft across the generations.
FATHER & SON
Among all the moments in this canvas, perhaps none feels more touching than seeing father and son united in their prime. Tony and Tom Liberatore, two champions bound not only by blood but by the Bulldog jumper, share this jubilant scene as if time itself has bent to honour them.
Tony’s incredible career is etched in scars and medals alike. No player in the history of the game has achieved what he did: best and fairest honours at under-19, reserves and senior level, winning the Morrish, Gardiner and Brownlow Medals. His battered knees and numerous scrapes and bruises, tell the story of a player who gave everything; who tagged, scrapped, and fought for his club until the very end. Even here, a small first-aid kit sits nearby, a wry nod to his warrior’s body and his future career off the field.
At his side, Tom bursts with the energy of 2016, champagne spraying, boots off. (How fitting, given the legend of Grand Final day, when he famously forgot to pack them! Luckily, they have appeared via express post). Father and son, side by side, embodying both tradition and continuity: one generation handing the flame to the next.
Nearby, the great Alby Morrison, the ‘Boy Wonder’, and Brownlow Medallist Norm Ware join in the celebrations, clad in the striking striped guernsey of 1935. Morrison’s jumper bears scorch marks and even a dry-cleaning tag on the collar, a playful nod to history, when the bold design was lost forever due to a laundry mishap. Ware looks curiously at a bright yellow modern football, marveling at this strange relic from the future dressing room.
THE FINAL CHAPTERS
Everywhere you look in this scene, champions mingle: Brownlow Medallists past and present, legends who nearly claimed one, and others whose greatness was never measured by silverware. Together, they tell the complete story of a club whose proudest tradition has been producing players of courage, flair, and loyalty.
Kelvin Templeton, remembered for his 15-goal heroics against St Kilda in 1978, appears in his red hot-pants of the mid-’70s – an era of bold colours and tighter fits, designed for the new age of colour television. A copy of the Footy Record sits behind him, anchoring him to that famous day when he kicked his way into Bulldog folklore.
His arm drapes warmly around fellow Brownlow Medallist John Schultz (1960), the towering ruckman whose grace and humility remain hallmarks of the club. In Schultz’s hand rests a letter from Bob Murphy, a reminder of the pen-pal bond the two men shared for years—letters written, memories preserved, a friendship spanning generations.
Nearby, Harry Hickey crouches in the navy-blue jumper of 1945, one of the many striking kits that tell of changing times, fashions, and eras gone by.
Matthew Boyd proudly holds his 2016 premiership medal aloft. His gaze sweeps across the room, as though he himself can scarcely believe his place in this pantheon of greats. His expression seems to say what so many Bulldogs have thought: “How lucky am I… to be part of this story?”.
And then, quietly yet powerfully, the scarf of loyal supporter Irene Chatfield hangs from a locker. A simple scarf, but one that symbolises a miracle. When the club’s very survival was threatened in 1989, it was Irene who stood firm, taking the VFL to court and winning a stay of execution. In the days that followed, Bulldog fans, and even supporters of other clubs – rallied to raise the $2 million required to save the club. Irene’s scarf hangs here as a symbol of what makes the Bulldogs unique: a club carried not only by its players, but by its people.
CLOSING REFLECTION
Here in this painting, the Bulldogs’ essence is revealed: resilience through hardship, triumph against the odds, loyalty to jumper and team mate, and above all, the unbreakable bond between club and community.
Step into this ‘Dressing Room of Dreams’ and you step into the heart of the Bulldogs, a place where past, present, and future unite, and where tradition lives on in every brushstroke, every story, and every beating heart that has ever cheered “Go Dogs!”
