Greetings tau'ri. I am Apophis. I am a lifelong supporter of the Doggies and of their affiliate side, the Mighty Seagulls.

Well, now that I have officially made myself known as the mystery Cowlesee of footytips SotS Tipping Comp 2008 fame, figured I'd post here too, as a formal introduction of sorts. I'm Pete, 25, single, from the northside of Brisbane up in the Sunshine State of Queensland. I am, always have always will be, a massive Doggies supporter and lover of Footscray heritage from days gone by. Ride the bumps and grinds one-eyedly as the quest continues to repeat Sutton, Collins and Whitten et al's prowess from '54. No matter how close or far we come to glory. One of these days... great signs in this the 54th anniversary of 1954 in a season where Brad Johnson became the 54th VFL/AFL star to rack up 300 games. Omens galore, and points to match it on the ladder. I also love researching and reading footy things about the past, in particular our club and its Melbourne counterparts, and my knowledge/passion for the game grows annually. So much so, I hardly care about Rugby League anymore (even State of Origin). Which is a bold statement in Qld, and with relatives who were pioneers in cane-cutting territory and who were brought up watching it live in the Far North nearly daily, and how strongly I have lived through the Broncos success since the early 90's when greats like Alfie Langer, Wally Lewis, Gene Miles and Glen Lazarus were playing. Have followed the Bullies since 1992 and have been an interstate paying club member every year since I was 18 (2001). Hated and despised the Bears, even more so the Lions these days, with the exposure and support they get up here. Like WA (with Freo/Coast), QLD's coverage of AFL is very Lions-centric, tv coverage and radio improving slowly, but the news rarely remembers that Melbourne exists and that the AFL wouldn't even be today, if it weren't for the rough and real grand 'ol days of VFL. Sigh. It is great that we get Channel 7's Friday Night Game live on Foxtel's Main Event 518 instead of having to wait until midnight, that I like a lot. However if Sydney or Brisbane are playing on Fox on Sundays, and the Dogs on 7, we get the "local" one simulcast on free to air, and poor old Footscray (and Victorian others) wait for their Brisbane run in the early morning hours. Still, I see and hear calls of the vast majority of Dog clashes, no real complaints, especially with 3AW and SEN available freely on the internet. I enjoy picking up rare 'Scray memorabilia on eBay and proudly wearing club merchandise round town, talking us up and debating with passionate locals. My house is overflowing with Western Bulldogs gear and items. From my doona down to my watch my clothes to wall hangings and everything in between, loyalty is clear to all who know me. However, I still proudly use older Footscray stubbie holders when having a beer - retaining and honouring the past. Refusing to totally embrace our Western commercialisation (even though Smorgon and Rose have done a stellar job taking us from battlers to nearly the envy of the league). The 'Scray - a name and playing strip I definitely feel we should still be using, not just FFC trading as WB with 3 letters on the back of our jerseys. I also follow the VFL (online stats/streaming radio), first Werribee and now Willy. I am a regular weekly on the NIRS Radio commentary sms talkback line (they cover 3 live AFL games a week, unfortunately one always being the Lions), which is broadcast on 98.9FM up here and across regionals Australia-wide. Live/breath AFL from pre-season to that one day in September. Aside from that I love cricket (played at school and 9 years club level), basketball (Cairns Taipans + played as a junior), NRL (Broncos), Rugby (Crusaders), WWE, baseball, English soccer (Ipswich Town - dad was born there), golf, V8s (Holden) and anything else sporting. I also enjoy history, politics, news/current affairs, education, tv (Seinfeld, Sopranos, British comedy, pretty much anything), music (everything from 1960s to now, play a few instruments and sing), fitness/health, trivia and Carlton Draught (and yes, admittedly, being local, can and often do stomach XXXX). I am a fully qualified Primary School Teacher, graduating with Honours in 2005. I taught close-by in the surrounds of Brisbane, then in a remote Aboriginal Community along Cape York Peninsula (2000 km from home) and in Tropical Cairns. Got extremely ill with whooping cough/pneumonia/influenza all in one which developed into Chronic Fatigue and unavoidable weight gain due to bed rest, bland meals and forced sedentary existence. I continue to build up strength after 16 straight months on antibiotics. Obviously I had to stop teaching and return to Brisbane, after making my name in the harsh, demanding environment at the tip of Australia. Reluctantly (only joking), Alastair Lynch became an instant hero and inspiration for me fighting CFS and all that came with it. Oh well, at least he played for Fitzroy, I can forgive his stints with the Bears/Lions, but even as a Dog I can admit what a player he truly was, and the great man he is. I have fought those illnesses off, lost 35 kg in 8 months by myself through only personal exercise and diet, and am currently easing back into life working part-time as a Visitor Services Officer at Queensland Museum, which is located at our South Bank precinct. I may venture back into the classroom soon or into the future as things pick up. I have previously worked in hospitality and was once a volunteer announcer with my own show on a narrowcast community radio station for a while, during uni. I have only been to Melbourne twice, ever - in 2003 & 2007, but loved it both times. Particularly going into the Dome rooms after a game and meeting the players and staff. I really enjoyed going to my first live VFL game too. I was born in Brisbane and have lived here all but one year of my life so far. I am a tiny fish in a large pond, no, ocean of Lions fanatics which often causes bemusement, amusement and intrigue when they discover Footscray is where my heart lies, and that I actually know more about footy than mostly all of them. I can be found in the Gabba outer when Footscray come to town - cheering madly and competing with Brisbane Bears fans, rubbing it in when Aker's men come up with the goods in our white clash jerseys. Bulldogs bite & bulldogs roar :: Remember '54 :: But you can't beat the boys of the Bulldog breed :: Who made old Footscray's name... nice to be on board, look forward to chatting with you all and lending my strong support and red white blue blood as we strive to show the other 15 who is boss, before Gold Coast and West Sydney invade. Sorry for the long post, guess I am fully introduced now and pleased to be here. Woof woof woof and bring on Geelong in 90 minutes, PETE

Hi Pete, thank you for sharing your story and welcome to SOTS! We have a number of posters here from places such as the USA, Portugal, Perth and NSW so you are not alone. A lot of us can also probably relate having lived in the south and eastern suburbs of Melbourne where until the last 5-10 years, Bulldogs supporters were few and far between. Look forward to debating and analysing the club with you on this site. Troy

Welcome to the board, Pete. Great to see such passion and it is heartening. Take care of yourself, welcome to the board and post heaps!

Wow i feel i know Pete a whole lot more now haha, great post, keep up the great work.

Hi trendsetters, i'm TommyGun, and i'm a Dogaholic