Three Western Bulldogs players were named in the AFL’s 2015 All-Australian team on Tuesday night.
As a proud partner of the Bulldogs, Victoria University congratulates Bob Murphy, Jake Stringer and VU student Easton Wood on their selection and recognition of their outstanding seasons.
Topping off the honour, Murphy was also named captain of the All-Australian team, recognising his leadership performance.
The Bulldogs had the equal most players selected of any club in the AFL. It is also the most All-Australia representatives for the Club since 2006, when Scott West, Lindsay Gilbee and Brad Johnson were selected.
With 21-year-old Stringer the youngest player in the team, the future looks bright for the Bulldogs, who made the finals for the first time since 2010, only to lose narrowly in a thrilling match to Adelaide.
Their All-Australian selection means the trio are now eligible to play in the International Rules series against Ireland in November.
As well as success on the field, the Bulldogs have shared several achievements with VU off it in 2015. Most notably there has been an escalation of our collaborative research program. Overseen by ISEAL and led by the joint appointment of two sports scientists there are now more 20 students working on research projects within the Bulldogs focussing on topics such as Talent Selection, Development and Coaching Practice, and Performance Analytics.
VU and the Bulldogs have also joined forces on a number of sponsored matches this season. In May, Moondani Balluk, Victoria University’s Indigenous Academic Unit, collaborated with the Western Bulldogs to provide a Welcome to Country and an Indigenous musician for the VU-sponsored Bulldogs game in the AFL Indigenous round. In August we created a vibrant multicultural atmosphere with Chinese lion dancers for the VU-sponsored Bulldogs game in the AFL Multicultural round.
