Bontempelli's Injury - Is his legacy at stake?

[Rusty12]

LOL.
Guys, his weight in isolation has nothing to do with anything, whether performance or injury.

A well-balanced, functionally efficient athlete is what Bont is.

And I agree, it is never a good sign when Type As, who have a long-term injury, come back looking like bodybuilders because they can't sit still for 5mins, and needed a hobby. It should never happen, and does not end well.

[Bornadog]

LOL.
Guys, his weight in isolation has nothing to do with anything, whether performance or injury.

A well-balanced, functionally efficient athlete is what Bont is.

And I agree, it is never a good sign when Type As, who have a long-term injury, come back looking like bodybuilders because they can't sit still for 5mins, and needed a hobby. It should never happen, and does not end well.

I remember when Kelvin Templeton did his knee. In the year he was out, he bulked up his upper body and ended up he couldn't even kick the ball 30m, lost his mobility and it was a disaster.

[Geejay]

Sorry but Templeton bulked up well before he did his knee in 1981 and it had no impact on his agility.it was the knee injury which impacted his kicking and mobility in 1982.

[Bornadog]

Not how I remember his bulking up. Yes the knee did hinder his kicking

[Geejay]

The bulking up made him the footballer he become. .really hit the weights hard after his first couple of seasons. His upper body was huge the year he won the Brownlow. He was the best footballer I had the pleasure of watching in that era only to to surpassed by the bont in current era.

[NAUGHTY100]

He's the greatest Bulldog of all time and certainly one of the greatest AFL players of the 21st century.

However, the question that I am posing to the forum is this:
Will this injury ruin his chances of placing himself amongst the true GOATs of the sport (Ablett Sr, Jr, Martin, Matthews, Carey, Franklin etc.)?

Of course, whether he misses 3 games or 6 games, I understand that one calf injury can't define someone's career. And yet, I do think that this setback is going to make or break his chances to really cement himself in the upper echelon of AFL players.

On one hand, he could miss the long end of a month and a half of football. By the time he gets back, he's missed too much time to make any individual impact on the season and his teammates may not be able to carry him to team success (finals wins or a flag). Then, he's 30 and all of a sudden he's in the twilight of his career and there are more and more young, talented players who will take the attention away from him as he only gets older.

However, on the other hand, he could be back by Gather Round which could still give him enough runway to make a case for another B&F and another AA selection. And this team of his could take him to the promised land and he adds another premiership, from 3 trips, to his trophy cabinet. Yes, he'd still be 30 after that but he could very easily still impact the league and even win individual awards as other players have in their early 30s.

So... there are lots of possibilities between these two extremes. What are our thoughts on what is at stake for Bont this year from a personal point of view?

This is a set back sure , but im just as sure he comes back as good as ever, he has been in this business a long time and would know his body very well , he will leave no stone unturned to come back in perfect condition . Him turning 30 means nothing , age is only a number to guys of his ink , i believe he still has at least 2 more years as the best mid in our side if not the AFL , and then in my opionion he goes forward and uses that big body and football nouse to kick many goals to end his career , i dont think retiring will even enter his mind before he turns 35 . So all in all this is a set back but he has 6 or 7 good years ahead of him .