When key Western Bulldogs figures describe Charlie Sutton as embodying the Bulldog spirit, they’re not just talking about his enormous standing in the AFL club’s history.
It also says a lot about the hard-nosed approach the captain-coach of the Dogs’ only VFL/AFL premiership, in 1954, took to the sport.
Sutton died on Tuesday, aged 88.
One of just three official Bulldogs legends, along with Ted Whitten and the recently-inducted John Schultz, the inaugural AFL Hall of Famer clearly sits as high as anyone in the club’s honour roll.
“To me and thousands of Bulldogs fans, Charlie Sutton is ‘The Bulldog’, typifying the Bulldog Spirit,” club president David Smorgon said.
Bulldogs great Doug Hawkins echoed that sentiment.
“He’s one of the true greats, a ripper bloke, a great character, a true Bulldog,” Hawkins told AAP.
Sutton’s toughness was legendary.
He carried a hamstring injury into the 1954 finals series but still kicked three goals in the premiership decider against Melbourne.
Despite standing just 168cm, he started the game by telling his players to concentrate on football, while he handled the rough stuff, then backed it up by downing several Melbourne stars.
Hawkins said Sutton’s love for the physical side of the game quickly became apparent when he met the Dogs great early in his own career.
“When I first met him, I was only 17, he said ‘Shop early, avoid the rush'” Hawkins said.
“It means smash them early and worry about it later on.
“He was tough, tough as nails.
“He’d smash you, pick you up and say ‘Sorry about that’.
“He was just a true Bulldog legend.
The Bulldogs’ best and fairest medal is named after Sutton and his love of the club was lifelong, Sutton still a regular attendee at training late in life.
Hawkins recently visited Sutton and while he was on breathing apparatus at the time, he remained as keen as ever to reminisce about the club.
“I sat there for 40 minutes with him and his wife Chubb (Eileen) and it was the best 40 minutes I could have.
“We reminisced about `54, we spoke about our times and when I was playing.
“I’ll never forget that, that was special.”
