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  1. #1
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    What's up with The Bont?

    He's a shell of the player he was.

    Am I reading this wrong? Is he doing other things? More heavy lifting than last year? He's had good moments this year but he is way down on form.

    Is it from more attention? The burden of Captaincy? His team mates not helping him during the game? Something else?
    But then again, I'm an Internet poster and Bevo is a premiership coach so draw your own conclusions.

  2. #2
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    It's a great question, I've had to clean my glasses a few times of late to check whether it was actually him. I recall the pre-season game against North in the "before times" where he was a class above and fully expected him to go from strength to strength with the captaincy.
    So far he has struggled this year for the most part, with moments of the old but really seems to not be running on all cylinders.
    Not sure I've ever seen him get caught in possession so often, I wonder with the added responsibility if he has stopped playing on instinct.
    I think he must be carrying an injury, coupled with the extra burden of the captaincy that might explain it ? It was so obvious tonight we missed his full output.

    Having said that the bar is set very high.

  3. #3
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    For a midfielder you have to be a bit more agile and I reckon he has beefed up too much. He needs to trim down so he can move more freely.
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  4. #4
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    In terms of impact on the result, the contrast between Bont and Dusty was telling tonight. And that is rarified air that Bont should be compared against. He is frankly nowhere near the level of the best in the comp so far in 2020. He's not even our best midfielder this year - Smith and Macrae are ahead of him, perhaps even Libba.
    "Look at me mate. Look at me. I'm flyin'"

  5. #5
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    His ceiling has dropped a bit due to the recurring hip issue IMO. Looks increasingly hampered by it, on and off since 2017.

    That he has still been able to do what he has is special, but he just doesn't look like he is moving well enough to have that real dominant influence under duress.

    He still has these incredible, but subtle, moments in game when the class shines through & is extremely capable of reproducing those moments. I want him to light a fire underneath us though, a little bit more free wheeling, star power stuff would be nice.

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  7. #6
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    Quote Originally Posted by SonofScray View Post
    His ceiling has dropped a bit due to the recurring hip issue IMO. Looks increasingly hampered by it, on and off since 2017.

    That he has still been able to do what he has is special, but he just doesn't look like he is moving well enough to have that real dominant influence under duress.

    He still has these incredible, but subtle, moments in game when the class shines through & is extremely capable of reproducing those moments. I want him to light a fire underneath us though, a little bit more free wheeling, star power stuff would be nice.
    More outside than inside? Yeah, I could live with that.
    More of an In Bruges guy?

  8. #7
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    For a midfielder you have to be a bit more agile and I reckon he has beefed up too much. He needs to trim down so he can move more freely.
    So you think it's just his weight that is the issue? If he were to lose some weight how many KG would help him move more freely?

    It will be interesting to see what roles we use him in over the next few games
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  9. #8
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    An extra note. H is being mauled off the ball and getting very little support from his team mates or the umpires. Not in a nasty way, like how GWS and Norf tried to, but arms wrapped around him, two men on him at the bounce most times. He is being forced to the wrong side of the contest.

    The other part of the hip issue is that it's changing how he manages the low ball. He used to swoop in and have sublime balance, pirouetting through the congestion after reaching down with those octopus limbs. He isn't getting back up very well, looks off balance and is going to ground more often.

  10. #9
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    Clearly hampered by his hip BUT... I have liked his overhead marking this year.

    His goalkicking is terrible but hsi inside 50 entries are still excellent. I'd play him high forward for much greater stretches of the game, let him jump at the ball and become that inside 50 connection player which we so desperately lack.
    Smith is locked in as a first rotation mid with Macrae and Libba, and we know Bont has synergy with Dunkley so Bont can be in the second rotation with Dunks when Dunkley returns.
    Western Bulldogs: 2016 Premiers

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  12. #10
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    If his hip is too sore to play in the midfield then give him some time off. He's reminding me of "prime" Lindsay Thomas at North as a forward, where he is good enough to generate multiple chances at goal and dominant enough to demand the ball, but cannot finish even the simplest of chances to the point that the position is untenable.
    - I'm a visionary - Only here to confirm my biases -

  13. #11
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    Quote Originally Posted by SonofScray View Post
    An extra note. H is being mauled off the ball and getting very little support from his team mates or the umpires. Not in a nasty way, like how GWS and Norf tried to, but arms wrapped around him, two men on him at the bounce most times. He is being forced to the wrong side of the contest.

    The other part of the hip issue is that it's changing how he manages the low ball. He used to swoop in and have sublime balance, pirouetting through the congestion after reaching down with those octopus limbs. He isn't getting back up very well, looks off balance and is going to ground more often.
    Craig Jennings made an interesting call yesterday - he pointed out the same as you, Bontempelli is getting double teamed at throw ups around the ground - to stop this should we use Bontempelli as our around the ground ruckman and have English push forward?
    More of an In Bruges guy?

  14. #12
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    One thing I have noticed this year, that hasn't been the case in previous years, is his being in the top couple of players on the ground for KM's covered most weeks (certainly in those where he hasn't had a decent spell on the bench once we had the result decided).
    The AFL site only shows the top 5 on the ground and whilst Bont has always been an ok runner - he didn't really need to be putting up km's close to say, Lachie Hunter, to have a big influence on the game.

    This might be putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 5, but is there a possibility that with the burden of captaincy - Bont is trying to do too much and get to too many contests - and that is impacting the quality side of his game?

    The comparison with Dusty is an interesting one. It has always been an accepted part of Dusty's game, that he doesn't really need to defend because other role players do this for him and he can all out attack. I'm not suggesting Bont should NOT defend....but is there a possibility he is using up too many petrol tickets trying to do it all (which happened in 2018 with Libba out I thought), and losing some of that offensive strength?

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  16. #13
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    I would like Bont to learn how to banana kick/ check side kick for goals for those shots for goal close in. Never seen him do one. Nothing to lose.

  17. #14
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    Quote Originally Posted by SonofScray View Post
    An extra note. H is being mauled off the ball and getting very little support from his team mates or the umpires. Not in a nasty way, like how GWS and Norf tried to, but arms wrapped around him, two men on him at the bounce most times. He is being forced to the wrong side of the contest.

    The other part of the hip issue is that it's changing how he manages the low ball. He used to swoop in and have sublime balance, pirouetting through the congestion after reaching down with those octopus limbs. He isn't getting back up very well, looks off balance and is going to ground more often.
    Absoultely. He goes to ground so easily lately. There was a moment last night where he fell over off balance through nothing else but his own momentum.

  18. #15
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    Re: What's up with The Bont?

    Watched the replay.

    Took ages to get up after one contest late in the game. Grabbing at his hip at the front frequently. Went to ground a few times, real desperate footy which is a credit to him, but also an adjustment he is making because the power/balance just isn't there for him to compete how he wants.

    It's a real worry. Even if his form is picking up.

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