The Western Bulldogs owe Marcus Bontempelli a Brownlow Medal, coach Luke Beveridge has volunteered on the eve of their new AFL season.
Superstar midfielder Bontempelli seems set for a monster marketing campaign, lastly injury-free and able to ship for his star-studded Bulldogs aspect once they battle Melbourne on Saturday in a rematch of the 2021 grand ultimate.
He led that yr’s Brownlow rely by three votes after spherical 19, however was run down by Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines because the Dogs misplaced three of their final 4 video games.
Asked on Friday if Bontempelli may reproduce that excellent kind, Beveridge instructed it was on his teammates to once more assist carry him to these heights.
“If he can play any better than 2021, that would be quite amazing,” he stated.
“We probably all feel responsible for him not winning the Brownlow that year, because the end of that year our last few games weren’t where they needed to be.
“Every Brownlow medallist nonetheless wants their group to be going nicely to a good diploma and we really feel like we price him one.
“He was still influential at times last year, definitely at the end when he started to feel a little bit better. But if he could get close to it, that’d be amazing.”
An in-form Bontempelli to go together with a firing stacked ahead line may vault the Bulldogs again into premiership competition, recruit Rory Lobb set to make his membership debut in opposition to the Demons.
Lobb (206cm) was named up ahead with Sam Darcy (208cm), Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (197cm) and Aaron Naughton (195cm), a combination that screams of firepower however may lack some mobility.
“It’s the area we were in the first couple in 2021, then we really slid down the competition as far as stopping that rebound,” Beveridge stated.
“That’s been a real focus over the pre-season to improve that, but if you go through say the individuals, Aaron’s very good at that, Rory, he’s particularly good at that, ‘Marra’s improving all the time as he plays games and Sammy … he’ll be probably the one that will take a little bit of time.
“So as a lot as they are often as key forwards, they’re fairly good at floor degree and when it is their flip, I believe they’ll maintain their find yourself.
“Probably for the first time since I’ve coached our club we’ve got depth through there with a roster of guys who can really shake up the competition … for our supporters, it is really exciting.”
Melbourne have not been helped by the absence of key again Steven May by means of a calf damage, leaving Harrison Petty, Jake Lever and Adam Tomlinson to man the Bulldogs’ talls.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
