Former Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy admits the Port Adelaide side of the early 2000s did plenty of damage to his old club.
Between 2002 and 2004, the Power won one flag and three minor premierships as the most dominant team in the AFL across those years.
The Burgoyne brothers, Peter and Shaun, were up and running together in those days, particularly on one occasion in 2002 when they combined for 11 goals, 36 possessions and 11 marks at Football Park.
“There was one day when Ryan Hargraves and I were swapping between Shaun and Peter Burgoyne and they kicked 11 between them,” Murphy said on SEN’s Bob and Andy.
“That was a nightmare of a day for old ‘Shaggy’ Hargraves and I over there at AAMI Stadium.
“We kept saying, ‘Should we swap? Yeah, we’ll swap, yep let’s swap’. We kept swapping. They kicked 11.”
Murphy was asked to describe the personality of that Port Adelaide team who were known for rampaging opposition sides, particularly at home.
“The context is that they were really, really good,” he added.
“They won one flag but there were minor premiers a lot, always up the top of the ladder.
“And the Bulldogs, we were not at the top of the ladder.
“You could tell they enjoyed playing us around that time. They really had a good time. They thought, ‘We could open the throttle a bit today’. They were tough days.
“They left a few scars those days over there in Adelaide.”
And there was no escaping the lip of that powerful outfit.
“They were happy to inform you of just how good they were, in detail,” he recalled.