The former Albury Tigers star made the MCG of the bush his own, booting nine goals in a memorable performance that will go down as one of the most dominant from a key forward in recent history.

Fowler had been the focal point of the Bulldogs’ forays forward all afternoon, but it wasn't until he took a final quarter screamer that he had his club's supporters roaring.

The veteran forward revealed he and a number of others had only decided to play on this season after last year's grand final triumph.

“It's massive, after getting the monkey off the back last year,  a lot of us sacrificed leaving the club to make sure we stuck together,” he said.

“We set a goal at the start of the year and thought 'bugger it, let's have a crack', and it was a fantastic effort from everyone today.”

The experienced spearhead straightened up in the second half after a couple of early misses, taking advantage of some silver service from the midfield to get the better of Hawks full-back Zac Mona.

“At the end of the day, forwards are there to kick goals,” he said.

“That's why I play footy.

“I was a little bit quiet early and missed a couple of goals, but to contribute and do the right thing was great.

“Sully (Jamarl O’Sullivan) and I, we're both the 40-year-old blokes that everyone says are too old, but he was phenomenal in the ruck.

“His tapwork and hitouts to advantage were extraordinary.”

Many of the Bulldogs were celebrating back-to-back victories but Saturday's triumph was Mark Haydon's first as a player.

The defender missed last year's victory over Mitta, and has previously played in two losing efforts, making the long-awaited win all the sweeter.

“It's unreal, it's everything we've been working towards since the club turned around,” Haydon said.

“To be the first team to go back to back since Mitta (2004-2007) is incredible.”

While the game was close at half-time, co-coach Jamarl O’Sullivan said the second-half dominance was purely down to the mindset his players had.

“What we tried to do was to say to the guys who didn't contribute in the first half the way they would have liked to was just just have a crack,” he said.

“And they did, they really turned it around.

“Footy is a funny game, if you can turn your attitude around, keep your application and effort, you'll turn your luck.

“I just thought we had an even contribution around the ground.

“Our backline was fantastic, they really stood up.

“Everyone had their moments throughout the game.”

For the Hawks, it was Jason Bartel who stood tall under pressure, while Nathan Vogel, Callum Turner and Jake Carkeek battled hard in defence.

Guy Telford booted three goals, while Jacob Barber bagged two.