The Western Bulldogs pulled off a nail-biting victory against the Melbourne Demons thanks partly to the heroics of their hugely talented rookie midfielder Marcus Bontempelli.
The last quarter of the clash was an arm wrestle until Bontempelli, playing just his eighth senior match, took over to lead the Doggies to a 91-85 win.
Bontempelli’s first goal, a classy snap out of a pack, drew scores level at 85 apiece. However his second goal and match winner was simply remarkable.
Deep in the left pocket he harassed Melbourne’s James Frawley, knocking the ball from his hands on two occasions before picking up possession. He shrugged off three tacklers and finally snapped the ball over his shoulder, slotting through on the tightest of angles.
“There were a few guys around the pack. I was just going for a score and it was lucky enough to go through,” Bontempelli said of his goal of the year submission.
The late bolter of the 2013 AFL Draft, Bontempelli was taken by the Bulldogs with their first selection and fourth overall. Some pundits questioned the selection at the time, considering players with longer and more decorated bodies of work at junior level such as James Aish and Matthew Scharenberg were still on the books.
Although early days, the selection of Bontempelli is shaping as an inspired pick by the Bulldogs due to his current form and enormous upside he possesses.
Bontempelli, the cousin of Nick Dal Santo, modelled his game on Scott Pendlebury as a junior. He is similar to both players in that he seems to have extra time with ball in hand as he navigates through tight traffic in the midfield.
Listed at 194 centimetres he is very tall for a midfielder, yet he is able to compete with smaller players, ranking third among rising stars in clearances per game and first for inside 50s.
Having spent time as half-back and forward in his junior years, Bontempelli offers Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney great flexibility to his side, which is a precious commodity in modern football.
“He’s learning probably two or three different positions at the moment,” McCartney said.
“We’re not sure if he’s going to be suited to one area of the ground yet, so part of that is learning where to stand at the stoppage and where to position himself defensively, but the raw talent is really exciting.”
The scary thing for the competition is how quickly Bontempelli is growing into his abilities. Seen as a middling prospect at the start 2013 season, his improvement was so vast and rapid that he leapfrogged many of his highly decorated peers to be a top four selection.
The Bulldogs’ recruiting manager Simon Dalrymple saw Bontempelli’s rapid rise as one of a kind.
“His rate of improvement from the start of the year to the end of the season is something that I haven’t seen in my 15 years or so of watching TAC Cup footy,” he said.
There is no doubt after his recent performances that Marcus Bontempelli is a star rising in the West. A match winner already, it’s a scary thought for opponents how good and how soon Bontempelli will be on a regular basis.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Not often you see Marcus Bontempelli miss a chance like this!
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
Amid all the hysteria and gnashing of teeth that accompanies any team following a particular galling loss, it's worth remembering at all times that…
Geelong coach Chris Scott has hit out at the AFL Tribunal's decision to clear Charlie Cameron for his dangerous tackle on Jake Lever, saying…
Bevo loves playing VFL players in the AFL and in many ways, he is this era's Kevin Sheedy, except a poor man’s version of him.
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
