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WESTERN Bulldogs prodigy Marcus Bontempelli says he wants to one day captain the club.

The rapidly emerging midfielder was entrusted with the role in Round 11 in the absence of Robert Murphy and Easton Wood and responded with his best game of the year.

Bontempelli, still only 20, has drawn high praise for a first 50 games that has him on level footing with some of the best midfielders of the modern era at the same stage.

He told the Herald Sun that captaining the Bulldogs was emboldening rather then overwhelming.
“There’s something special about it. It does feel distinctly different,” Bontempelli said.
“It’s an incredible honour and I think something in time I’ll be prepared to do if that’s the way the playing group and the coaches feel.

“It’s something I’ll potentially do in the future, but only if called upon. I’ve got some great leaders in front of me and they’re certainly good to learn off.”Bontempelli had 30 possessions — 21 contested — six clearances and nine tackles as stand-in captain in that Round 11 win over West Coast and was congratulated by a jubilant Murphy in the rooms post-match.

“That was a very proud moment for me. I’ve been privvy to a couple of very special footy moments in my short career and that is something I’ll look back on quite fondly for the rest of my life,” Bontempelli said.
“To do it this year at the age of 20 probably makes it a bit more special.”

Bontempelli’s ascent to stardom has prompted AFL great Leigh Matthews to describe the midfielder as a “prodigious talent”, while teammate Matthew Suckling said he was a leader in the mould of superstar Hawk Sam Mitchell.
Yet nothing seems to affect the laid-back left-footer from Eltham, who last October moved out of the family home and in with older sister Alanna.

“It’s quite easy (to stay grounded) to be honest. I’m surrounded by good people and I think that often can reflect how players handle the attention,” he said.
“I’ve been raised by two incredible parents (mum Geraldine and dad Carlo) and with three sisters (Alanna, Olivia and Sienna) who have always been quick to knock me down into place.”

The Bulldogs emerge from the bye in sixth at 9-4 and a game off the top four with key players returning from injury. Sydney await at the SCG on Saturday night.

“I don’t think we pictured ourselves higher (on the ladder), but we expected to play our best footy week-in, week-out and there’s probably only been one or two occasions where we haven’t been able to put it together for the whole four quarters,” Bontempelli said.

Asked if the Dogs’ could maintain their high-intensity swarm all year, he said: “We’ve trained for it all pre-season so we’ve certainly got a lot of faith in our ability to play out the year that way.
“When we get it right, I think teams really struggle to go with it for four quarters.”