Footscray could not enter its first Smithy’s VFL Grand Final in nine years in better form, with the Bulldogs taking a 13-match winning streak into the premiership decider.

That includes a 31-point win over the Box Hill Hawks in last week’s preliminary final, where the Bulldogs’ line-up featured 17 AFL listed players.

That number could bump up to 18 for the Grand Final, with retiring star Taylor Duryea available to return having served a one-match suspension handed down following the huge qualifying final win over Frankston.

Despite the red-hot form, there is one key stat that works against Footscray heading into Sunday’s decider at IKON Park, that being a 0-3 record against Grand Final opponent Southport.

The two sides haven’t met this year, with their last clash coming in the 2024 preliminary final when the Sharks caused a boilover in heavy conditions at Mission Whitten Oval to end the Bulldogs’ season.

But for Footscray coach Stewart Edge, the Grand Final is not just about redemption for the painful defeat endured 12 months ago.

Having been involved in the Bulldogs’ 2014 and 2016 premiership triumphs, Edge is desperate for his playing group to experience the lifetime connection that a premiership victory brings.

“It would be a thrill. There's no doubt about that,” Edge told the State of Play podcast.

“Having been involved with the ‘14 and ‘16 flags, which now seem an eternity away, it was fun seeing on the weekend after we got through, a WhatsApp group from the 2014 crew who were already arranging to come to the (Grand Final).

“That's a great reminder of the connection that's created from these things.”

Footscray enters the Grand Final as the number one defensive side in the competition, with Box’s Hill’s tally of 77 points in the preliminary final the highest score the Bulldogs have conceded since Round 17.

Prior to last week, the minor premiers had kept their opposition to fewer than eight goals in five successive matches.

Edge said team defence was a key focus throughout the club.

“We are preaching the same message to new players, first-year AFL players, first-year VFL listed players, as well as our long serving players who know it inside out,” he said.

“At times it probably feels like it’s Groundhog Day for some of our players returning summer after summer for the similar sort of messaging around team defence, but it's serving us pretty well.”

Footscray’s outstanding defensive structure faces arguably its biggest test this week when it comes up against a Southport team that has proven itself to be one of the greatest offensive threats in the competition.

It makes the midfield battle so absorbing, with the two star-studded on-ball divisions set to go toe-to-toe in a contest that could very well determine this year’s premier.

Footscray skipper Dan Orgill was full of admiration for Southport’s prolific midfield group, led by Liston Trophy winner Jacob Dawson, but was confident his side’s engine room, which will feature AFL star Adam Treloar and in-form Anthony Scott, can handle the challenge.

“I think the game will probably be won or lost in there (the midfield),” Orgill said.

“But we have so much confidence in what we've been able to do. We've got a lot of good structure in the last few weeks. We've had a lot of consistency in there, so we’ve just got to keep doing what we're doing.”

Orgill said a consistent line-up in recent weeks, and training together more regularly, had instilled greater connection within the group heading into the biggest game of the season.

“Throughout the year, we probably play with only half of the people that you're training with. So, it's been nice to train with the full squad on a Thursday and build that relationship and that connection up a bit more,” Orgill said.

“But having said that, throughout the year, we've built that chemistry through winning, so it's been good for us.”

2025 Smithy's VFL Grand Final
Footscray Bulldogs (1st) vs Southport Sharks (3rd)
Sunday, September 21
2:15pm AEST
IKON Park (entry via Gate 5 and 6)

Ticketing: Admission prices will be adults $20, concession/pensioners $15 and children under 15 free. Tickets can be purchased at www.intix.com.au/org/vfl. Patrons purchasing at the gate are advised the payment method is card only. Entry will be via Gate 5 and 6.

Broadcast: The 2025 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network via 7mate in Victoria and 7plus nationally. The match will also be streamed live and free on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App.