Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli is expecting contract talks with the club to play out smoothly, in a strong indication the superstar midfielder will not be going anywhere.
Dogs fans cannot yet breathe a sigh of relief, but there is little chance of Bontempelli departing Whitten Oval any time soon.
Marcus Bontempelli expects contract talks with the Western Bulldogs to go smoothly.Credit: Getty Images
Discussions have begun between Bontempelli, 29, and the Bulldogs on a new deal that will likely see one of the greatest players to pull on the red, white and blue become just the eighth player in the club’s 100-year history to play 300 games.
“It’s going well, obviously it’s getting to the point now where things will start to open up, those conversations will happen,” Bontempelli, who missed the first six games of the season due to injury and proposed to his partner last November, said on Friday.
“There was a lot going on in my life early on in the season and hence why I, no different to other years, took my time a little bit with it.
“Those conversations will definitely start to take place, pretty much as of next week. So the ball will well and truly get rolling with that. I see it going quite smoothly.”
Despite speculation that Collingwood are interested in a blockbuster trade to move him across Melbourne, Bontempelli said no such offer had been relayed to him through his manager Tom Petroro.
“That information never really came to me at all, to be honest,” Bontempelli said.
The Bulldogs captain was speaking at the unveiling of touch and track technology that allows blind and low-vision fans to follow the game live at a venue.
Launched by the AFL and Telstra with technology company Field of Vision and Champion Data, the hand-held device includes a magnetic ring which moves across a tactile map of the field, mirroring the ball’s movement in real time.
Visually impaired Western Bulldogs fan Shaun Keath shows club skipper Marcus Bontempelli the hand-held device that’s been created to help fans like himself follow AFL games live at the venue.Credit: AFL Photos
The device uses distinct vibrations to mark goals and behinds, and developers are working on how other key plays, such as turnovers, can be recognised.
Previously, fans such as Bulldogs supporter Shaun Keath, have relied on radio commentary and the kindness of friends and family to inform them of the on-field action.
“I’m always nagging my wife, ‘where’s the ball, where’s the ball?’ So it’s going to be great to actually be able to enjoy it a lot more than I am,” Keath said.
“I’ve only even been able to listen to it and been quite antisocial because I’ve got to have my headphones in, and I rely on the crowd and what they do as well.”
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