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      Western Bulldogs
Footscray   Bernie Quinlan   Footscray

Number:

  2 Footscray

Western Bulldogs

Red white and Blue

Height:

  193

Weight:

  89

Birthday:

  21 July 1951

Period:

  1969 to 1977

Senior Games:

  177

Goals:

  241

Disposals:

   

Recruited From:

  Traralgon
Honours:   Club Leading Goalkicker 1971, 48 goals. Brownlow Medal 1981. Coleman Medal 1983, 1984.Club's most versatile player award 1969 and 1970.Victorian State selection 1974, 1979, 1981 and 1982. All Australian. AFL Hall of Fame. Nominated for Team of the Century. Finals 1974.
  One of the most skilful players during his era. He had a super long kick and was nicknamed 'Superboot'. The ball would travel 70 meters from the half-forward flank and sail through for a goal. Amazing. You would just gape in amazement. Maybe he got his long kicking skills through his father who was an ex Fitzroy reserves player.

Also he was a good pack mark, could dodge and weave and was fast. Had a superb physique. Needed a bit more rigour. National Service training in 1971 interrupted his football somewhat. In 1974 he played with a broken thumb, this didn't do much to help his consistency.

  

Footscray

 Played at centre half back or centre half forward and sometimes full-forward. Also had stints in the ruck.  
Western Bulldogs I remember one time he was playing at full-forward and the fans would follow him from one side of the ground to the other to watch him play. In one game Bernie was set in the goals quare waiting for a team mate to have a shot at goal. His team mate looked as though it was going to be a heard shot. I remember yelling out to him 'LEAD', just then Bernie took off, accepted a perfect pass and kicked a goal. I think that I should have been credited with half that goal.  
  Does anyone remember the mark Bernie Quinlan took at Princes Park when he was standing behind the point post and wrapped one arm around each side and marked it before it hit the post.

Of course no Sunday lunch was complete without Bernie competing in the Super Kick, or whatever it was called, with Bruce Andrews on World of Sport.
 		  
  At the end of 1977 he was sold to Fitzroy for they say $90,000. That filled the clubs coffers and got us out of debt. It was the highest transfer fee ever paid. Bernie was sad to go but they offered him so much money that as a newly-wed he could hardly refuse. He did very well at Fitzroy and later became their coach.  
   
   
   
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