Reflecting on an illustrious time for the Canterbury-Bankstown region, legends of the two sports came together to celebrate their respective 1995 premiership-winning sides and raise funds in support of the Bulldogs Ambassadors Club Foundation.
Taking to the Bankstown Sports Club after a two-year hiatus, it had been long between drinks among friends. The teams had originally planned to reunite at the 2020 Bulldogs Ambassador’s Club Grand Final Luncheon and celebrate 25 years since their respective titles before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the honours.
Company alike Australian cricket royalty, brothers Steve and Mark Waugh, as well as Canterbury Club greats Les Johns, Steve Mortimer, Steve Price, and Terry Lamb, joined the luncheon on Friday. MC and TV personality Bill Woods led the event with Australian batsman and commentator, Greg ‘Fat Cat’ Ritchie also entertaining the 430 plus guests who united in celebration of the two teams.
Willie Mason and members of the Bulldogs 2004 Premiership team were also in attendance.
“It’s a bit surreal to think that back in the day, the two sports sort of went hand in hand, cricket in the summer and footy in the winter,” said 1995 Bankstown-Canterbury Cricket Premiership Captain Steve Small.
Born of the Canterbury-Bankstown region, the two codes shared not only territory but support.
“We actually used to train with the cricketers,” esteemed footballer and member of the winning ’95 team Jim Dymock recalled.
“We used to come down and do hybrid training [together] and we had a good rapport with them.”
Dymock, a South Sydney junior turn Bulldog, played with the Club from 1993 - 1995 and returned to the Club to coach in later years.
Training together in the late 90s, the unbreakable bonds of mateship were still evident at the Bulldogs Ambassador Club Luncheon a good 27 years later.
“Everybody just sort of gelled you know, all feeding off each other’s success,” said Small.
“Terry Lamb and Peter Moore were great supporters of the cricketers.
“They would come and give the boys some words of wisdom during the summer and lend their support. Plus, we had the support of the leagues club - Canterbury Leagues and Bankstown Sports, and it was just a community atmosphere.”
The Luncheon saw the teams share fond memories of their grand final wins, with Woods leading a panel of guest speakers including the 95 team captains, Lamb and Smalls as well as coaches Alan Campbell and Chris Anderson.
“We had a great team,” said Coach Alan Campbell of the ’95 winning team - the defending champions at the time.
“We had some great players, and we had a great front office, you know with the admin and so forth,
“The players were pretty dedicated in their career which was a non-professional sport at that time. And we had a really good leader in Steve [Small],” he said.
“That was the diplomatic answer from the coach,” Small added.
“We tried hard. We played hard. We partied hard,” he jested.
The elation of a win shared by the ‘95 Bulldogs side — then known as the Sydney Bulldogs.
“We had a win, and the boys came,” Small reflected.
“They were playing at Parramatta stadium that day and when the scores went over the loudspeaker, Terry Lamb jumped in the air. He was punching the air when we got the money and got the last wicket.
“It was brilliant,” he said.
“Then we followed them all the way through to the Grand Final and the rest is history.”
The rest referring to when the Sydney Bulldogs famously stormed from outside the top four to win the 1995 ARL grand final.
Whilst most of the celebrations reflected on the championship titles, the driving force behind the day was the Bulldogs Ambassadors Club.
Founded in the late 1990s by ex-players, the Bulldogs Ambassadors Club was established to provide advice and support to newly recruited players, as well as to look after the older players who have been with the Club for a long time.
The Ambassadors Club, which runs separately but has been supported by the Club in recent years, gets involved in local charities in addition to providing monetary support and funding to assist players in need during tough times.
“It’s like the Men of League but for the Bulldogs,” Wellbeing, Ambassador’s Club Committee Member and Alumni, Luke Goodwin explained.
“So, what it is, is we raise money for former players who might fall on tough times. For them, their families or their friends.
“What we’ve found over the years is that transitioning out of the game is really tough.”
With players receiving support during their footy career, they found they are likely to lose a bit of their identity as they exit out of that support network. So, the Ambassadors Club acts to close the gap and provide a support base for former players as they retire.
The Ambassadors Club generously paid for the players to attend, covering transport and accommodation to see them reunite.
“It’s about bringing them back together to see each other, but also fundraising to be able to continue to give out our gifts and support former players and families”.
Further to that, the Ambassadors Club awarded scholarships on the day to three up-and-coming players, two female and one male.
The scholarships were awarded to Mitchell Woods, Amirah Abdullah and Grace Leiataua to assist with schooling and education fees and to support them in pursuing a professional career in rugby league.
The Grand Final Luncheon is the Ambassador Club’s major fundraising event, held annually on the Friday before the Grand Final, with the exception of the last two years.
The event is a favourite among players, partners, and guests alike.
“It’s just great to remember the players who put on the jersey before us, and also the staff- the trainers, the front office, they are the people who made the Club what it is,” said Dymock.
“The Bulldogs Club has always been a family club and will always be that way”.
To assist in raising funds for the Ambassadors Club or to inquire about partnership, contact Luke Goodwin at goodwinl@bulldogs.com.au
