Flush from staving off a proposed merger in the mid-1990s, the Western Bulldogs stepped bravely into an era of an expanding national competition with a new name and a wider focus.

The Bulldogs are now inextricably linked with Melbourne's west, with the club enjoying strong support across Melton, Hobsons Bay, Wyndham, Brimbank and Maribyrnong.

"At the Bulldogs we regard that as our backyard," Rose said. "We designed our new state-of-the-art facilities to actually face what we consider to be our Bulldogs backyard."

The redevelopment of the club's spiritual home at the Whitten Oval coupled with solid on-field performances has the Bulldogs well positioned to capitalise on the ever-changing population in Melbourne's west.

A key focus of Rose and the Bulldogs hierarchy has been to reach out to the region's new arrivals as well as those bred to bleed red, white and blue.

"The link with the western region has reached new levels, and we have new levels to go to again," Rose said.

"The programs we have based towards new arrivals have been running for six or seven years and we probably need to run them for 16 or 17 more years so that the next generation of Bulldog members will reflect the multiculturalism in the community." While a stirring NAB Cup win has been matched by record membership sales, Rose is adamant that only through continued involvement at a community level will the club's future be assured.

"We are proudly off the bottom of the membership table, and I think that is a reflection of a whole range of programs the club has undertaken.

"But the underpinning programs are just as important as winning on the field because success on the field can create a lot of hype - a lot of froth and bubble - but if the programs aren't in place it won't translate to membership growth in a highly competitive environment."