Robert Groenewegen

Recruited from local club Braybrook, Robert "Wagon" Groenewegen was a tall ruckman and key forward whose promising athleticism was significantly curtailed by a severe knee injury early in his career. While the 1981 reconstruction robbed him of his natural leap, he reinvented himself as a serviceable utility who battled hard for senior opportunities over a decade at the Western Oval. Often playing second fiddle to first-choice ruckmen like Andrew Purser, Groenewegen is best remembered on-field for a crucial cameo in the 1985 Preliminary Final, where he booted two vital goals to nearly lift the Bulldogs over Hawthorn. Off the field, he forged a lasting reputation as one of the club's great larrikins—most infamously for a mid-flight prank that earned him the moniker "Captain"—and later established himself as a respected stadium administrator in Tasmania.