Allan Hopkins

A foundational figure in the history of the Western Bulldogs, Allan Hopkins was a local product who helped transition the club from the VFA into the VFL competition in 1925. Widely regarded as the club’s first true superstar, Hopkins was a brilliant rover who could push forward with devastating effect, possessing a rare combination of balance, evasiveness, and elite ball usage. His playstyle was defined by creativity and poise, allowing him to consistently impact the scoreboard; he notably topped the club's goalkicking in the unbeaten home-and-away season of 1924 just prior to their league admission.

Hopkins reached the individual pinnacle of the game in 1930 when he tied for the Brownlow Medal, though he was initially denied the honour due to the countback system of the era. The VFL retrospectively awarded him the medal in 1989, correcting the historical record for one of the game's premier midfielders. After retiring as a player, he continued to serve the club as a captain-coach and administrator, leaving a legacy that saw him named in the Western Bulldogs Team of the Century and inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.