Marcus Bontempelli preparing to return for Western Bulldogs' Easter AFL game return
The Western Bulldogs could regain superstar Marcus Bontempelli for their Easter Sunday clash with St Kilda.
After suffering a “complex” calf injury in a pre-season game, the Bulldogs captain has been building towards a return.
Instead of playing in the Gather Round match against reigning premiers Brisbane on Saturday, Bontempelli will have a crucial training session back in Melbourne.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The 29-year-old was listed on the Bulldogs’ injury list on Tuesday as one-to-two weeks away, and he could be back for round six.
“We’re hoping he’ll play next week,” Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said on Thursday.
“He’ll have a pretty decent session on Saturday with the boys who don’t come to Adelaide.
“We’re hoping he’s able to play on Easter Sunday next week.”
The Bulldogs have moved to 2-2 despite missing Bontempelli, fellow All-Australian Adam Treloar (three-to-five weeks away) and dynamic forward Cody Weightman (indefinite).
After losing a tight contest to Fremantle last Sunday, the undefeated Brisbane Lions will present another big challenge on the uniquely shaped Norwood Oval.
Young star forward Sam Darcy will again loom as pivotal to the Bulldogs’ chances.
Beveridge admitted after losing to the Dockers they had been too focused on kicking to Darcy in a frantic final quarter.
“What happens with any player in the competition who becomes a matchwinning type, or can be quite prolific in their roles, it’s making sure you keep them involved in the game,” Beveridge said about Darcy on Thursday.
“You can’t just sit him at full-forward anymore, the game has changed.
“So what that means is, quite often, there are other teammates who were bigger threats ... or they’ve freed themselves up.
“Why wouldn’t you kick it to him in a one-on-one, absolutely and and we will.
“But we need to give him a chance, as tall as he is, he still needs the ball kicked to his advantage to give him a chance.
“In totality we’ve always been a team that relies on multiple goal-kickers.
“We can’t just rely on Sam to kick our winning score.”
Lions coach Chris Fagan refused to be drawn on whether Harris Andrews or fellow premiership defender Jack Payne would get the tough job on Darcy.
“He’s (Darcy) a fantastic player. The predictions at the start of the year were he would take off this year and the predictions were right,” Fagan said.
“He’s a difficult match-up.”
