Eltham junior Marcus Bontempelli was selected by the Western Bulldogs with pick No. 4 in the 2013 AFL National Draft.
Standing 193cm and blessed with great endurance, the versatile tall midfielder was swooped upon by the Bulldogs with their first selection in the draft.
Not truly regarded as a first-round selection at the beginning of the year, Bontempelli shot up the draft order on the back of a huge season with the Northern Knights and Vic Metro.
After spending most of his career floating across half back or as a forward, it was a shift into the midfield that enabled Bontempelli to truly prosper.
Drafted three days before his 18th birthday, Bontemelli said he felt “on top of the world” to call Whitten Oval his new home.
“I guess my dream of being an AFL player has just come true,” he told the Bulldogs’ website.
“To be given the number four pick is something really humbling and is something I will hold highly now for the rest of my life and my career.”
Bontempelli said his confidence grew as he spent more time in the midfield and credited the positional move for his rise up the draft order.
“I found that coming out of nationals I played with a lot more confidence, took the game on more.
“I started to really play consistently through the midfield, that’s where I played my best footy and I was able to show I can mix a solid inside and outside game to go with my attributes.”
Bontempelli’s size and enormous up-side ensured the Bulldogs’ kept a close eye on him throughout the season, and were a factor in the club selecting him ahead of highly-touted South Australian James Aish.
Western Bulldogs list manager Simon Dalrymple admitted Bontempelli had long been on his radar, and said his form throughout 2013 ensured he was amongst the elite juniors in this year’s draft pool.
“He went to the next level this year,” Dalrymple told AFL.com.au.
“His rate of improvement from the start of the year to the end of the season is something that I haven’t seen in my 15 years or so of watching TAC Cup footy.”
Bontempelli is the second former Northern Football League junior and Northern Knights midfielder to join the Bulldogs in as many years, after Nathan Hrovat was drafted to the club in 2012.
Selected with pick 21 in last year’s draft, Hrovat debuted for the Bulldogs in Round 9 and averaged 16 possessions in his seven matches throughout 2013.
Bontempelli was one of two Northern Knights players selected in the first round of this year’s draft, with Ben Lennon selected by Richmond with pick 12.
Lennon played his junior football with Macleod in the Yarra Junior Football League, but did make four appearances for Macleod’s seniors as a 16-year-old in 2011.
Incredibly, he polled two votes in his second senior game against then reigning premier West Preston-Lakeside.
Lennon was selected in the 2013 Under-18 All-Australian team following an exceptional carnival with Vic Metro and was a standout during the TAC Cup competition this year.
Richmond’s recruiting manager Francis Jackson said the midfielder/forward was a superb acquisition for his football club.
“Ben is an outstanding mark for his size and is a constant threat overhead,” Jackson told the Richmond website.
“He sees the game unfolding better than most and is always getting himself into dangerous areas on the ground.
“With the footy in hand, he is extremely dangerous with his decision making and excellent foot skills.”
In joining the Tigers, Lennon will play alongside former NFL juniors Trent Cotchin, Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlastuin.
Picture: Getty Images
