Both the autobiography of one of The Bulldogs' favoured sons and a revealing, insider's look at the workings of a football club, one that has experienced more than its share of controversies in recent years.
For the past ten years the Canterbury-Bankstown Rugby League Club (the Bulldogs) has reeled from one crisis to the next. Once known as the 'Family Club' and the 'Entertainers', the Bulldogs have since figured in many off-field dramas including rape allegations, executive reshuffles and rorting the salary cap.
Three families have dominated the club in the past thirty years - The Moores - whose patriach was long-time club boss Peter 'Bullfrog' Moore who ran the club with an iron fist and whose sons-in-law include several former players like recent coach Steve Folkes and previous coach Chris Anderson. The Mortimer brothers - Steve, Peter and Chris - and The Hughes Brothers - Graeme, Garry and Mark - nephews of Peter Moore.
How did the club disintegrate and lose its way?
Graeme Hughes autobiographically walks us through his first associations with the Bulldogs culminating in the great Grand Final win of 1980 in which he played. Then we follow the Bulldogs' fortunes through Graeme and his brothers' official roles with the club and Graeme as TV sportcaster. The death of Peter 'Bullfrog' Moore was a key turning point and soon bastardry, disintegration and the scandal cited above dominated the club.
About Graeme Hughes
Graeme Hughes represented New South Wales in both rugby league and cricket, as a reliable upper-order batsman. With his brothers, Mark and Garry, he was an integral member of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs sides known as 'The Entertainers' and was one of the instigators of the famous try that sealed the Bulldogs' grand final victory in 1980. On his retirement, Graeme continued to play cricket for Petersham-Marrickville, while establishing himself as a respected media commentator. He broadcast rugby league and the Seoul Olympics for Channel 10, and later called the football for Channel 7. In recent years he has had a well-documented falling out with the Bulldogs and a number of old teammates and says that he is writing this book to set the record straight. Today Graeme runs a media events organisation and hosts the widely-syndicated Talkin' Sport show on Radio 2SM.