Every Word Marcus Bontempelli Said On His Injury, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Sam Darcy, Ryley Sanders, His Contract, and His Cafe

With just days until the Western Bulldogs begin their 2025 campaign, the club have spent the day taking to the airwaves on radio station 1116SEN, as the network celebrates Western Bulldogs Membership Day.

To celebrate, some of the biggest names at the club have spent the day on the air, and it started earlier this morning, when captain Marcus Bontempelli joined Garry Lyon and Tim Watson on SEN Breakfast:

Garry Lyon: Marcus Bontempelli’s been good enough to join us, g’day Bont.

Marcus Bontempelli: Morning gents, how are we doing?

GL: We’re going nicely, mate. More importantly, how are you going?MB: Nah, I’m going well. Going well, thank you. Just as you mentioned, I’m on my way into the footy club this morning and obviously the weather’s been quite nice at the minute so I’m looking forward to another good day at The Kennel.

GL: Absolutely superb. We’ll get the ones we have to ask out of the way and then we’ll branch out into some other areas. How’s the injury going going? That’s the calf, cause Dogs supporters everywhere are listening in, tuned in with a queued ear to the phone.

MB: Yes, it’s coming along well, obviously not ideal in any way that you look at it missing the jump this year on the start of the season. So far it’s progressed nicely, I’ll start, re-load and get back on legs pretty quickly which is nice, but it’s obviously going to take a little bit of time which is a frustrating thing, but the good thing is that I feel great (and) really confident with our team that I’ve spent a long time with from a medical perspective so, I think the important part here is obviously to get it right so that there is no issues down the track.

GL: Yeah and the blessing can be that in a long season it may help you in the back half. There are various experts that can diagnose injuries from a long, long way away. Is there a timeframe that you can just roughly - we won’t hold you to it - roughly give us a timeframe?

MB: Yes you will, don’t lie. It will be hopefully around 5-6 weeks, we’re looking in that vicinity. So where that takes us is probably around the Brisbane game, I think, or Gather Round. So in and around there is where we’re hoping, but as you know these things can hopefully speed up if things are progressing nicely. This probably doesn’t look exactly like that scenario so I wouldn’t expect I’d be getting back before that period.

Tim Watson: Bont we tossed a coin as to see which of us would ask you a question about Jarmara (Ugle-Hagan). I know you’re probably expecting a question or two. I’ve lost the toss so I’ve got to ask you a couple of questions about him. Is it true that you met up with him over the weekend in Kew? Somebody has sent a text message though saying that you might’ve had a quick cup of coffee with him at a cafe in Kew over the weekend?

MB: Jeez, you’ve got good sources there, Timmy. Yes, we caught up, which has sort of been part of our, I guess process the last few weeks anyhow, so it was more a general catch-up and check-in. You know, my angle with a lot of these situations are that it’s obviously got to be very personal and more on a support level and that’s what I am to Jamarra more than I’m his captain of the football club or the Western Bulldogs teammate, it’s coming at things from more of a personal angle so I can support him in his life more than anything, mate. So yeah, good source, good intel, well done, that’s correct

TW: Are you confident that he’s moved on and that he’s ready to take up the challenge again of getting himself fit and prepared to play another season of AFL footy?

MB: Oh, I mean I’m probably not the right person to be judging him on that sort of specific question. I think, as I sort of said I’m looking things more from a life perspective and a global support in his you know, his personal space. I feel like things are definitely moving and progressing in the right direction. I’m confident in the plan that’s in place, in the people that are around him supporting him beyond sort of me and his teammates, but obviously from a support perspective there's a lot in place, so I guess I’m confident in the plan and how things are moving now, and him back in training on a very consistent basis is obviously pushing things in the right direction.

TW: I’m just going to push one more question your way. Because this has been reported out there so  I just want to get your take on it, Bont, and that is that prior to that game (the Elimination Final) last year the players talked the coach (Luke Beveridge) into playing Jamarra in that game is that in fact what took place?

MB: I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the exact detail. It was obviously a fair bit ago. You know, we’re always in that meeting talking about, you know obviously the best look and who we can get the best out of in that perspective so, to be totally truthful I can’t quite remember exactly how the conversation went. But all I’'ll say is that in a general sense we’ll talk about how we want out team to look and obviously that final didn’t play out the best for us. But that’s gonna happen, so yeah we’ve sort of moved forward I think the key now, we move on and move forward and probably won’t be going too much into the recent history.

GL: So let’s look forward, the Bulldogs fans are listening. It’s Western Bulldogs membership day, if they need a reason to sign up, there’s a bloke called Sam Darcy that took a massive step forward last year and again looks primed to go to another level. Can you give us an update on where he’s at and just how good he can be and where you see him?

MB: Yeah I always err on the side of caution when it comes to young players. Mainly because I’ve been there before in a similar scenario where you can put too much pressure on guys before they’ve sort of really, not just cemented themselves in the position in the game but to give them as much free air as possible, so, I mean you've probably already seen within the short period of time the attributes that he’s got and thee growth ion his game from really last season to this season even in only a game or two or a match sim or two. So yeah obviously we’re very optimistic about Sam’s potential and what he may be able to do for us going forward but obviously it’s going to take a power of work from him and other’s around him, but he’s unique. I think that’s the best way to describe him in the modern game. Someone who is that coordinated and you know, that aggressive and competitive. They’re all really good attributes for a key position player that you hope will, you know, be a great player at the level for a long time, so I’ll always move to cool the jets on the expectations of teammates and young guys, but what I will say is that he’s a young guy that seems to embrace it, and I think that’s a great attribute of his

GL: Yeah, it’s great thing to get excited about, no question about it. We’re with the Bulldogs champ Marcus Bontempelli. The other one is Ryley Sanders. So big investment, sometimes we get a bit impatient with these guys to come on and be like Nick Daicos straight off the bat. Is he ready to step up and take midfield minutes?

MB: He’s certainly had some great growth across the pre-season, and especially with the fact that we’ve had different guys missing at different points and periods of time. I think that can only be a positive in the growth of guys like Ryley Sanders and he’s gone to work really hard on a few aspects in his game. You know, we knew when he arrived that he was going to have a great ball-winning and accumulating ability as sort of the modern guys really do, but as you know, the game in the midfield is multi-faceted and you want be that sort of 360-degree player and I think that’s he sort of really honed in on across the course of the pre-season, and I’ll continue to support him now. My role obviously changes a little bit from an on-field to more of an off-field sort of coach and I get a good mental chance to really look at Ryley and other guys and they sort of develop and grow, and in the end, the pass guys like me and start to take over the reigns a little bit more. So I think from my own perspective I’m excited to watch him really, hopefully really show the things that he's improved on through the early part of the season.

TW: We’re talking to the best player in the competition Marcus Bontempelli, the Western Bulldogs captain, out injured at the moment. Now, you’ve got a big decision to make, Marcus, regarding your future at the end of this year. You’re a Free Agent. I’m just really interested, does your decision about playing on there at the Bulldogs or going elsewhere, is it tied in any way to Bevo (senior coach Luke Beveridge) being at the club?MB: No it’s not. I think it’s a personal preference of mine as per usual when it comes to my contract is to take my time with it, and as I’ve probably been paraphrased through the course of the pre-season that it just hasn’t been a priority of mine, and I think it just comes down to more values than anything, that I’ll take care of what I think’s the most important thing at any given time, and for me that’s obviously been football, been the start of the season. The injury throws a bit of a curveball in there that I wasn’t expecting, but you’ve got to think of things obviously on a personal level and canvas what the future might look like, but I think for me it’s really come down to priorities and just continue to obviously assess things at the right time and I’ve spoken with Tommy Pretoro (player agent) about it probably irregularly, to be honest, because he knows at the minute my focus is elsewhere and not on my short-to-medium future at the football club.

TW: How big a role does loyalty play in all of this?

MB: It plays a significant part. I’ve spent the best part of my young adult career at the Western  Bulldogs Football Club and you come straight out of school and straight into an environment that essentially beyond your parents now starts to raise you and shape your morals and values. So it certainly is a strong part to it, and as you know having both played as well, especially if you captain a football club it’s probably a bit more so, and I’m been fortunate enough to be in that position where I am and I have, so it does play an important part.

GL: Bont, what about eh cafe, importantly? Next phase of your life, I’ve got a couple of sons that are in the area, can’t wait for it to open. How’s that progressing?

MB: Here we go, thank you very much! It’s going well, we’re hopefully weeks away is what we’re talking. The boys keep ribbing me because the opening has slid on four occasions; I thought we’d be open in January last year, but shows what I know about probably development and renovating and then opening a business. But it’s reality exciting. Arthur’s Milk Bar in Kew which will be a nice local spot for people to come to and have a cup of coffee and a nice meal, so yeah hopefully we’re talking weeks, weeks lads, so it will be good to see you when it gets up and going.

GL: Are loyalty cards available, are there? or…?

MB: Trust, that’s not surprising that you’d ask. We’ll definitely have that. It will have a very local feel, very old-school style milk bar with the old school marketing. So definitely loyalty cards for sure

TW: Malted, blue-heaven milkshakes available there?

MB: Yes. Definitely have the milkshakes going, spot on. Blue Heaven’s the best.

GL: It is indeed. Hey, great to talk to you, mate. It is Western Bulldogs Membership Day - score a nine-game membership for the price of three. Good luck with the recovery, hope you’re back sooner rather than later and thanks for joining us.

MB: My pleasure, thanks gents. Take care.

GL: The champ, Marcus Bontempelli.