In 1989, Footscray Football Club was on its knees. Out of cash and nearly out of time, they survived extinction and merger - just. But three years on in 1992, the Bulldogs finished second on the ladder and were a game away from the grand final. 

For good reason, they thought 1993 would be the year - their first flag since ‘54. 
Sensing they might be nearing something special, Terry Wheeler, senior coach and innovator, invited Martin Flanagan, the prolific columnist for The Age, behind the curtain to write a book on the season from within the inner sanctum. What he produced from his time at the club – Southern Sky, Western Oval – was a classic, but sadly, the Doggies season wasn’t. 

Despite a fast start and an ability to knock off most serious contenders for the flag along the way, they were too inconsistent to feature in September. Outside of the club and away from the game, Martin, as always, was just as busy writing the untold or misunderstood stories of Australia. 

Not least, that meant promoting understanding and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australia. Back then, as it is now, his is a leading voice on this great 
unfinished business. Those themes intersected in 1993, the season when footy embraced Aboriginal culture in a way that it hadn’t before, laying the building blocks to what would become the league's groundbreaking racial and religious vilification policy two years on. 

So to talk about the sons of the west, and the journey of Australia’s first people in the world of top-flight footy, we welcome Martin Flanagan to The Greatest Season that Was, 1993. 

The Greatest Season That Was: 93 documents our contention that in 1993, footy was never better. Hosted by Adam Collins, Dan Brettig and Shannon Gill, this series is an in-depth exploration of one amazing season. 

The Greatest Season That Was: 93 is produced by Jay Mueller and edited by Thom Lion. Check out Bad Producer Productions for more podcasts.