SOME rivalries are built on decades of spite and grand stages.

FOLLOW IT LIVE Bulldogs v Giants

Think Carlton-Collingwood, Hawthorn-Essendon and Adelaide-Port Adelaide, all of which have memorable on-field and even off-field moments that solidify the sizzle and spice.

Another developing club rivalry hasn't needed the benefit of time.

The first plank in the Western Bulldogs-Greater Western Sydney tale began before they'd met on the ground, when the newly founded Giants snatched Callan Ward from under their noses.

That set in motion what's become a remarkable rivalry that's seen the two teams meet twice in finals – both noteworthy for different reasons – be involved in a titanic trade and split their 12 clashes to date.

There's even a strong continent of staff and footballers at GWS with a Bulldogs background, from coach Leon Cameron to football boss Jason McCartney and ex-player-turned-welfare manager Dylan Addison.

Here are six big moments in the Bulldogs-Giants' colourful history as they prepare to meet again under the Friday night lights at Marvel Stadium. 

Ward swaps the Kennel for Blacktown

Callan Ward was the No.19 draft pick in 2007 but arrived as a serious player four years later, when he averaged more than 20 possessions across 22 games for the Bulldogs.

The tough midfielder was going to be a big part of the side's plans but the AFL's player signing rules and bucketloads of cash worked in the Giants' favour in luring him north.

Ward and Rhys Palmer were the expansion club's first two player signings, and the former was an inaugural co-captain with Phil Davis and GWS's maiden best and fairest in 2012.

"In the last week of football, I had a feeling I was probably coming up here but I didn't tell the Bulldogs until after the last game," Ward said at his Giants unveiling.

Then-Bulldogs chief executive Simon Garlick wanted two first-round draft picks as compensation but the Dogs received just one, and they remain disappointed .

Ward is due to play his 159th match for GWS on Friday night, after making 60 senior appearances for his old side.

Meeting for the first time

Greater Western Sydney welcomed the Bulldogs to Canberra in round five, 2012 for what was their first competitive outing.

The Giants led by 11 points at quarter-time but the Dogs never looked back after kicking eight goals to three in the second term to set up a 42-point triumph.

Ex-Bulldogs Callan Ward and Sam Reid represented GWS in that game, while future Giants Ryan Griffen and Dylan Addison were in the winning team – but we'll get to that later.

Griffen received two Brownlow Medal votes for his 37 disposals but it was Bulldogs skipper Matthew Boyd who was best afield with 35 touches of his own, while Luke Power had 30 for GWS. 

Fourth time lucky: GWS beats the Dogs

Greater Western Sydney came from two points down at three-quarter time to defeat the Western Bulldogs for the first time in round 23, 2014.

Stewart Crameri stretched the Dogs' advantage to nine points almost six minutes into the final term but the Giants booted five of the next six majors to surge 14 points clear.

There were more twists to come, with Marcus Bontempelli then Crameri kicking truly to tie the scores.

The critical moment came when then-Bulldogs star Jake Stringer dropped a sitter inside 50 with barely 30 seconds on the clock.

The Giants went end to end from there, starting with Toby Greene and finishing with Devon Smith taking a bounce then banging through a magnificent goal from 55m.

The blockbuster Boyd-Griffen trade

Power forward Tom Boyd had just completed his first season as a Giant after being the dux of the 2013 draft class.

Then came the Bulldogs' stunning offer – an average of $1 million a year across seven seasons – that convinced Boyd to switch clubs. GWS officials initially claimed he was untouchable but that soon changed.

Ryan Griffen's disenchantment with the Dogs, particularly outgoing coach Brendan McCartney, proved the circuit-breaker.

Griffen, who was captain at the time, held crisis talks with Bulldogs powerbrokers before leaving for a European holiday but returned home and requested a trade.

The two clubs eventually agreed to a deal that saw Boyd become a Bulldog in return for Griffen and the No.6 pick (Caleb Marchbank) – with the Dogs also paying for some of Griffen's contract.

Both Boyd and Griffen, who have since retired, were given clips on the way out (via the media) from the clubs they were departing.

Boyd wasn't able to realise his potential on a consistent basis but was superb in the Dogs' 2016 Grand Final victory, while Griffen struggled with injury in his last few seasons.

Neither player reached 60 games for his second club.

COMMENT Was the Dogs' Tom Boyd mega-deal worth it?

The 2016 preliminary final

The Western Bulldogs weren't supposed to be in a preliminary final after scraping into the finals in seventh spot but were amid a fairytale run. 

Greater Western Sydney, on the other hand, was supposedly on the way to fulfilling the destiny many predicted for it.

Very little separated the two teams all game, and an errant Toby Greene snap levelled the scores inside the last four minutes.

However, 60 seconds later Jack Macrae's decision to run forward of the play proved a masterstroke, with Tom Liberatore finding him for an uncontested mark inside 50.

Macrae's subsequent goal proved the match-winner, although Devon Smith had a ping from 50m and Greene launched for a difficult mark within range shortly after.

They couldn't reel Luke Beveridge's men in, and a neat Jake Stringer pass found Tory Dickson for the last kick of the game, with victory already in hand. Luke Dahlhaus won a game-high 32 possessions.

The Bulldogs won their second premiership and first in 62 years a week later at Sydney's expense.

The 2019 elimination final

Seven wins in nine matches ended the Western Bulldogs' finals drought that began after their 2016 flag – and there was talk of a repeat run.

Their reward was a September trip to Sydney to face the Giants, who they'd beaten by 61 points only a few weeks earlier.

There was a controversy from that match, where Dogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli escaped with a fine for a blow to Nick Haynes' throat that left the Giant with a fractured larynx.

In a quirk, Match Review Officer Michael Christian graded Bontempelli's hit as 'low impact' because he didn't have access to the medical report at that stage.

The rematch was equally notorious, with GWS adopting a physical, uncompromising approach that overwhelmed – even bullied – the Bulldogs as it secured a dominant 58-point win. 

Bontempelli was often the Giants' target, particularly in one clash with agitator Toby Greene, who was, perhaps, fortunate to receive only a fine for his actions. 

Greene's been at the heart of so many moments in this feisty match-up but a knee injury has sidelined him from Friday night's contest.