Bulldogs' great Bob Murphy reveals sledge that left him 'rattled'

Western Bulldogs great Bob Murphy has revealed the sledge that left him truly "rattled" throughout his 312 game career for the 'Dogs.

The club legend was up against St Kilda serial pest Steven Baker had become renowned for his tactics to get under the skin of his opponents.

Baker was once slapped with four suspensions for a cumulative total of nine matches during a clash against Geelong's Steve Johnson, yet the niggling Saints star had a doozy for Murphy that left him flabbergasted.

Murphy lined up alongside Baker one day and the former Bulldog was bracing for a verbal assault which never eventuated.

“So this was right in that time where he and Stevie Johnson went at it and were throwing proper punches. This was a throwback to a different era,” Murphy told SEN Breakfast.

“I was playing in the forward pocket and Baker’s manning me and the ball is 150m away.

“I remember sort of thinking, okay, you’re about to get hit here. Something is about to go down.

“You’re sort of getting yourself into that frame of, what do I do when it happens?

“He’s probably thinking you’re a scrawny, skinny thing, I’m just going to beat up on him.

“And he whispers in my ear — ‘have you got a sausage dog?’

“All I said, was ‘yes’ (in a high pitched voice) and for the next 15 minutes, it rattled me. A punch wouldn’t have rattled me at all, but the fact that I didn’t know if he was serious.

“It was one of the great sledges because it distracted me for a good 15 minutes.”

Former Saints captain Nick Riewoldt and Baker’s teammate confirmed that Baker was serious as he did in fact own a sausage dog of his own.

“He was serious, he had a sausage dog called Richard and a parrot called Andrew,” Riewoldt said.