Marcus Bontempelli of the Western Bulldogs has taken home the AFL Coaches’ Association Champion Player of the Year award in convincing fashion, polling 17 votes more than second-placed Patrick Dangerfield.
The premiership midfielder polled 107 votes – the first time a Western Bulldogs player has taken home the gong over the 16 years of the award’s existence, joining past winners like Dangerfield and Nathan Buckley.
Bontempelli has averaged 27 disposals in season 2019 and has enjoyed a great last three rounds to the season, which saw him take home the award with 14 votes in the last three rounds. Six of the past 13 winners have gone on to win the Brownlow Medal and the other seven have polled extremely well.
This puts Bontempelli in great stead come Brownlow night, when we could see him take home the prestigious medal, just like recent coaches award-winners such as Dustin Martin and Dangerfield.
(Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
When Bontempelli is at his best, he is one of the best players in the league, just like we saw in Round 20 when he finished with 35 disposals and a goal. Bontempelli’s outside play and penetrating left foot sees the Bulldogs into attack plenty of times each game, and when put together with the talented midfield group of Josh Dunkley, Jack Macrae and Lachie Hunter, they can be the best midfield in the league and have all been pivotal in cementing the Bulldogs’ position at seventh place.
This all coincides with the Bulldogs charging into September, with an elimination final against the sixth-placed GWS Giants next Saturday afternoon. This is set to be one for the ages with memories of the classic 2016 preliminary final, which saw the Bulldogs into the grand final in their premiership year.
This finals series will be a cracker, with all teams in form and raring to go in their respective games. The Bulldogs are a unique proposition coming into September with three wins in a row including a 104-point defeat of Essendon, their past history of coming from outside of the top four to win the flag in 2016 as well as having the Coaches’ Association Champion Player of the Year Bontempelli in their ranks, plus other in-form players such as Josh Dunkley and Aaron Naughton.
But it’s almost September now and anything can happen in the finals, just as we saw in 2016.
Kane
Roar Rookie
Now that you mention that I remember that as well.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
My past experience is that umpires often take a year or so to recognise new talent, I rate the Bont about a 20% chance in the Brownlow. My memory is that Sydney recognised that Dunkley wanted to stay in Melbourne and they would only have claimed him if he had been initially drafted by an interstate club.
Kane
Roar Rookie
The Bont is an absolute gun but the games i seen this year Dunkley was by far the better player and will probably take too many votes off him. Dunkley is going to be something special I reckon. In saying that, I'd love both these blokes at Carlton not only because they're gun footballers but sensational bloke's as well. Sydney let one get away in Dunkley
Wilbur Cribbes
Roar Rookie
Cheers mate
Aransan
Roar Rookie
A good article Wilbur, needs more recognition by Roarers.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Yes. The best odds I got were after round 6, the Bulldogs had won against the Swans and the Hawks, but then had consecutive losses against the Suns, Collingwood, Carlton!, and the Dockers. Of course the loss to Carlton was after Bolton was sacked. The bets were in the form of doubles, the Bulldogs to make the 8 and Bontempelli to win the Brownlow. The odds were as follows: Bookie1: Bont $21, Bulldogs $11 giving $231 Bookie2: Bont $16.12, Bulldogs $13.96 giving $225.03 (the odds had been "boosted") I had previous bets and overall my odds were just over 100/1 ($101). I always thought this was going to be a very even season and especially taking into account the unusual circumstances of losing to Carlton the odds for the Bulldogs were overly generous. I also believed that the two events were not independent and that the double odds were inflated compared to what they should have been. I am not confident of success but look forward to a very interesting evening on Brownlow night.
Slane
Guest
The year when you have money riding on it? ;-)
Aransan
Roar Rookie
I have always felt that Bontempelli would win a Brownlow medal, I hope it is this year.