Marcus Bontempelli surges in AFLCA award race with perfect 10 votes

Marcus Bontempelli has tightened the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award race with a dominant Round 18 performance.

On 18 June, Marcus Bontempelli delivered a 25-disposal, eight-tackle, 12-clearance and two-goal haul to poll a perfect 10 votes in the Bulldogs’ 10.10 (70) to 6.8 (44) win over West Coast. The haul included eight tackles and 12 clearances, showcasing his two-way influence across the contest. Aaron Naughton was next best for the Bulldogs with six votes, while Harley Reid managed six votes for West Coast.

Bontempelli now sits second on the leaderboard with 88 votes, just 18 behind Nick Daicos (106) after 18 rounds. Luke Jackson (76) and Max Gawn (74) round out the top four, with Max Holmes (65) and Jai Newcombe (64) also in the mix. The gap to Daicos is the narrowest it’s been all season, with six rounds still to play.

The 10-vote haul was Bontempelli’s second perfect score of the season, following his Round 12 effort. His consistency has been the backbone of the Bulldogs’ finals push, with the midfielder averaging 24 disposals and six tackles across the last four matches. The result also underlined his status as the engine room of a Bulldogs side chasing a top-four finish.

Six rounds remain, and Bontempelli will need to maintain this form to reel in Daicos. The Bulldogs face Collingwood next, a side Daicos leads the votes for. If Bontempelli can replicate this output, the award could come down to the wire.