Brilliant Bont the favourite
IT’S not just Western Bulldogs fans who watched Marcus Bontempelli in awe this season.
The leading Brownlow Medal fancy’s premiership teammate Easton Wood rates Bontempelli’s chances of winning the individual honour as “pretty bloody good” after his standout season.
“Having a front-row seat to watching (Bontempelli) play this year – he’s been remarkable,” Wood said.
“He’s been remarkable every year I’ve watched him, but he’s taken his game to another level this year.
“He’s the only player I’ve seen in my entire career get faster as he’s gotten older, which is astonishing.
“He never used to break out of packs at pace when he started, but now he puts his head down and breaks through lines.”
IT’S not just Western Bulldogs fans who watched Marcus Bontempelli in awe this season.
The leading Brownlow Medal fancy’s premiership teammate Easton Wood rates Bontempelli’s chances of winning the individual honour as “pretty bloody good” after his standout season.
“Having a front-row seat to watching (Bontempelli) play this year – he’s been remarkable,” Wood said.
“He’s been remarkable every year I’ve watched him, but he’s taken his game to another level this year.
“He’s the only player I’ve seen in my entire career get faster as he’s gotten older, which is astonishing.
“He never used to break out of packs at pace when he started, but now he puts his head down and breaks through lines.
“He’s always had that beautiful, long left leg to take us forward.
“But now he does it with his legs and instead of getting 60m or 70m, he’s sometimes getting 80m, which is just astonishing.”
Bontempelli, fellow Bulldog Jack Macrae and Demons Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca are a chance to match Tiger Dustin Martin’s effort of winning a flag, as well as the Brownlow-Norm Smith Medal double in the same year.
Martin became the only player in VFL/AFL history to manage that feat in 2017.
Sunday night’s event will be held at Perth Stadium for the first time because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But there will be functions in three other states because of travel restrictions.
The Bulldogs, who aren’t attending, plan to cram into a hotel conference room to watch.
But Wood said Bontempelli was typically taking the attention and expectation in his stride.
“He came in as an 18-year-old and it was almost like he had a 35-year-old veteran’s head placed on an 18-yearold’s shoulders,” he said.
“He’s always been really certain about what his goals are and what his drive is, and always comes with a curious attitude, but always with a purpose, and he applies that to everything.
“I’m sure he’s not distracted at all by the stuff going on this week, with the Brownlow.
“It’d be nice for him to win, but we couldn’t care less – it’s all about the game on the weekend. But we hope he wins.”
Wood and the Dogs will emerge from quarantine on Sunday after about three weeks of at-times “laughable” restrictions, as he put it.
“It’s been quite the journey in isolation so far … it’ll be nice to have a bit of freedom,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to walking outside, and maybe along the beach with a coffee in hand.”
Wood will face Melbourne for the first time this season in next week’s grand final, after suffering three separate hamstring setbacks and ankle ligament damage in an interrupted campaign.
He expects Alex Keath and Laitham Vandermeer to shake off their own hamstring-related issues to be part of the Bulldogs’ bid for a third premiership.