Universally known around Tasmania as both the Aurora Stadium ground manager and “Wagon”, the Launceston father-of-two is a true son of the West.

He grew up in Bulldogs territory, played 79 games for Footscray between 1978 and ’86 and has been waiting to see his team reach a grand final for 55 of his 56 years.

“As an ex-player and Bulldogs supporter who grew up in Sunshine, played for Braybrook and used to go to all the suburban games around Melbourne I cannot believe how important this weekend is,” Groenewegen said. 

“I wondered if I would ever see my team in a grand final. Even a moderate follower of any sport, to see something happening to your club that has not happened for a long time everyone buys into the romance of that.

“It’s a magnificent occasion and fantastic to get caught up in the emotion of the Bulldogs supporters and even now I’m welling up.”

Best mates with club legend Doug Hawkins, Groenewegen kicked 29 goals in his senior career between 1978 and ’86, including one in the 10-point preliminary final loss to Hawthorn in 1985.

One of only two Groenewegens to play VFL/AFL footy, he is described in the sport’s encyclopedia of players as: “Lumbering ruckman and defender. Also used to plug a gap at centre-half forward.”

Groenewegen chuckles at the rather uncomplimentary description. “I was a bit of a battler, I wasn’t really a ruckman,” he said.

“When you become a player it’s dog eat dog, if you excuse the pun. You’re just trying to get a game and survive the cut for next year, or at least I was.

“I did my ACL when I was 19. Things were going along beautifully until then so I had to reinvent my game a bit to play within my limitations and I was not massively skilled before then.

“But I played 10 years and am a life member of the club and that means the world to me.”

Although Groenewegen no longer has any direct involvement with the club, he said he is working on helping to develop a base at Ballarat and remains a passionate fan who has followed the team through this year’s finals series and will be at the MCG on Saturday.

“When they went to WA, with the way West Coast were playing I thought it was going to be tough but they played so well.

“The next week against Hawthorn they were awesome and against GWS they just had such belief. 

“Saturday is a bit like the others – no one is backing us but the way we are playing anything can happen.”