Western Bulldogs forward Rory Lobb received a predictable welcome upon his return to his old stomping ground as he was showered with boos by a hostile Optus Stadium crowd.
The former Fremantle tall turned popular boo-boy was greeted loudly by his former supporters as the Bulldogs took to Optus Stadium for the Len Hall Game on Saturday night.
In scenes reminiscent of Lobb’s first game back in Perth last season, the bleached-blonde Bulldog was a popular target for Dockers fans throughout the opening quarter.
Both of Lobb’s two opening quarter marks were met with a resounding chorus of boos and Bronx raspberries as the Fremantle fans wasted little time in reminding him of his trade request in 2022.
Lobb, who kicked 79 goals in 66 games for Fremantle across four seasons, retained his spot in the Bulldogs side after replacing star forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in the Dogs’ thrashing of the Saints previously.
While he was not met with the physical welcome from Fremantle captain Alex Pearce that greeted him during his first trip back to Optus Stadium last year, he was rarely out of sight of the Dockers skipper.
It comes after Lobb was branded a “traitor” on the back page of Saturday’s The West Australian.
Lobb showed no interest in engaging or inciting and physical fisticuffs early after the Dockers had targeted him from the get-go last year.
The West columnist Paul Haselby believed the Dockers had learnt their lesson from targeting him last year and Lobb would be more concerned about building form after only two games this season.
“Rory was pretty good last week. I think the crowd will get involved around him because they’ve got long memories,” Hasleby said.
“But for him individually, he needs to play well. He’s one bad game from being out of the side and potentially spending a fair bit more time in the VFL once Jamarra Ugle-Hagan comes back into that side.”