Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli signs four-year extension, rejecting free agency

Marcus Bontempelli says he never seriously considered leaving the Western Bulldogs, after signing a new four-year extension to remain at the club.

Bontempelli ended months of speculation by forgoing free agency to sign a deal that will see him remain at the Bulldogs through the 2029 season.

"I've had a few different things happening — getting married in the off-season, opening a small coffee shop out in Kew — but ultimately it is no different to how I've dealt with other things in the past," Bontempelli said in a statement on Tuesday.

"It's an important decision to spend the right amount of time on.

"This club means so much to me, it's hard to put it into a few words, to be honest. It is where I have grown as a man and spent all of my adult years coming here at 18.

"When I think about the person I want to become, it has been influenced by the people I have spent a lot of time with at the Western Bulldogs.

"I owe so much from a footballing experience perspective, but I think I really owe a lot of my maturing as a person and as a man to the football club.

"For me, it's such a special place, the fans, the people that have supported me along the way. I've never not felt supported by our people here at the club.

"I feel incredibly lucky to have had that for so long."

Bontempelli and Darcy's aligned deals help Dogs plan for the future

Bontempelli's extension is a massive win for the Bulldogs, who can now go about re-tooling the side around he and boom forward Sam Darcy in the coming years.

Interestingly, the extension Darcy signed late last year also runs through the 2029 season, which gives the Bulldogs flexibility to pivot one way or another when that time comes.

Despite being 29, Bontempelli remains as prolific as ever and is arguably the best player in the competition. Losing him to a rival club would have been a terrible result and locking him into this extension is a no-brainer from a Bulldogs perspective.

"Marcus has not only become a generational player for the Western Bulldogs but one of, if not the, most influential players in the competition," Bulldogs football boss Sam Power said.

The Bulldogs now have both Sam Darcy and Bontempelli locked in through the 2029 season. (Getty Images: Matt King)

"His leadership and influence over our group and wider club is phenomenal, continually setting the standard on and off the field, always striving to get the best out of players and staff.

"As a player, Marcus has impacted games of football for the past decade with his unique blend of skill, athleticism and thriving in the game's biggest moments, rising to the occasion when our club has most required it."

Bontempelli has averaged 25.2 disposals per game and has kicked 15 goals in 13 outings so far this season.

This contract will see him enter his post-prime years, and the Dogs can look to the career arc of Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield to see how Bontempelli might age.

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Arguably Bontempelli's best trait as a footballer is his ability to be damaging at almost any position in the forward half of the ground, and this versatility will be well utilised in the coming years as the Dogs steadily dial down his midfield minutes to keep him fresh.

Dangerfield has gone from being a bulldozing midfielder to a genuine forward threat this season, and Bontempelli could wind up being an excellent forward-line foil to the prolific Darcy in the latter stages of this new deal.

Bontempelli is the latest big pillar to re-commit to the Bulldogs, with senior coach Luke Beveridge signing a two-year extension of his own earlier this season.

With Beveridge, Bontempelli and Darcy locked in, the Bulldogs have put themselves in a powerful position to potentially lure other big names to the club as they continue to build towards their next premiership.

As the conversation around West Coast youngster Harley Reid's future continues to bubble along, the Bulldogs could offer him the prospect of playing his prime years alongside the league's best player and the league's best young forward.

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