Hough factor to spur Bulldogs on reunion day

In the SWFL grand final week of 2001, the talk of the town was a dominant ruckman who had taken his side to the precipice of it’s first premiership since 1983, won the Hayward Medal and the club’s best and fairest. A Donnybrook side chasing a fourth consecutive premiership didn’t know it yet but Jamie Nani, the Bunbury Football Club star who is now the club’s head coach, would miss the game through injury. “It was a big year and it was disappointing not to be able to play in the premiership, but that period of time we had a really good bunch of guys, a lot of guys who were living in town were playing for the club, and we were a pretty tight group — not dissimilar to what we have now,” he said. The tight group that enjoyed the ultimate success together two decades ago have rallied again in recent times, in support of premiership teammate Scott Hough, who suffers from motor neurone disease. Twenty years on, a premiership reunion, a throwback jumper, and a fundraiser for a special mate will mark one of the club’s greatest triumphs. “Reunions are always pretty special. 2001 broke a long premiership drought so it meant a fair bit,” Nani said. “The Hough factor is just massive around the club at the moment, I have had a fair bit to do with him over the journey, played a lot of footy with him, and the club is giving him as much support as we can just to help him out as much as possible.” The Dogs will wear a special 2001-inspired jumper in their round two clash with Donnybrook on Saturday, which will be auctioned off after the game, and vice-captain Matt Partridge’s No. 4 guernsey will bare Hough’s name. A number of participants will take the plunge into an after-game ice bath to raise funds for the Hough family. “I think the jumpers will be enough spur for the players to play a little bit harder, but I don’t think our group needs a lot more motivation,” Nani said. “It will just be touched on in small spots.” The last time the two sides met, Bunbury blitzed Donnybrook in a 98-point victory on the last day of the season. That win took them to the top of the ladder on their way to last year’s premiership. But both sides come into the game 1-0 after Donnybrook held off South Bunbury at home. “Donnybrook are going to be a tough side,” Nani said.