June 12th, 1976 might not be recognisable as a significant date in Club history, but the Dual Champions of that day will assemble and celebrate their achievements this Saturday at Old Boys' Day.
Now, 50 years on, we look back at the dual champions of 1976 from the Jersey Flegg Cup and President's Cup sides before they reunite at Accor Stadium during the Club's Old Boys' Round on Saturday afternoon.
Played at Pratten Park in Ashfield, the Jersey Flegg Cup side defeated arch-rivals Parramatta 18 to 10, with Paul Valesini scoring all of the side's points with two tries and six goals.
The most remarkable stat from the match, however, was the fact that all 20 players in the Bulldogs squad were local juniors; eight from Bankstown Sports, four from Chester Hill, three from St John's, two from Riverwood and three from the St George Dragons.
Six of those players went on to play first-grade, highlighted by Bulldogs Hall of Fame Steve Folkes. Other future Bulldogs included Greg Sankey and Allan Geelan, while Alan Fallah (Wests), Jeff Hunt and Mark O'Brien (Newtown).
Captain Peter Gates also represented the NSW Under 18's side the following season alongside Folkes. Just a few years later, four members were part of the dual first-grade and reserve grade winning teams of 1980.
Folkes was the sole survivor who helped the Club break a 38-year Premiership drought in the famous victory over Eastern Suburbs, while Geelan, Gates and Sankey all lifted the trophy with the reserve grade side that toppled Parramatta.
Of course, Folkes would go on to carve out one of the great careers in Bulldogs history; playing 245 first-grade games including six Grand Final appearances and four Premierships. He also represented City, New South Wales and Australia, before coaching the side 288 times, reaching two deciders and claiming a Premiership in 2004.
Meanwhile, the President's Cup side also claimed a win over Parramatta, breaking a 45-year drought in the process.
Gerard Raper, who played alongside brother Peter, reminisced over the victory ahead of Old Boys Day.
"We had a convincing win over Souths which then put us up against the Eels,"
"Even though we lost two of our strike players during the game, we were able to hold on to win 10-7. It was a gruelling contest against a very determined Parramatta outfit.
"We hadn't won the President's Cup in a long while, so it was a great feeling holding up the Cup on behalf of the team and the Club, and we certainly celebrated long into the night. Winning both the President's Cup and the Jersey Flegg that day was a great feat.
"Alongside Dennis McKinnon, I was played in the Under 23 team later that year that reached the Grand Final which was another wonderful experience.
I want to thank the Bulldogs for putting on the Old Boys Day on. It's wonderful to be able to catch up with a lot of our teammates after such a long time.
"We encourage all past and present players to attend these occasions where possible to continue to share our great memories - don't hesitate to reach out to each other!"
Bulldogs Members and supporters will be treated to a double header this Saturday afternoon, with the NRL and NRLW sides taking the field at Accor Stadium as they celebrate every single player who has worn the Blue and White!
For Tickets, Times, Activations and more, you can see everything you need in our Gameday Guide in the card below.
