There aren’t many superlatives to define Marcus Bontempelli but a sixth Charles Sutton Medal will only enhance his standing as one of the red, white and blue’s finest.

Despite running away with the best and fairest last night, Bontempelli couldn’t help but praise the others on the podium.

 
“I’m a little bit embarrassed given the seasons both Bailey and Adam had I feel quite fortunate,” he said at Crown.
 
“You don’t set out in the off-season or pre-season to be here tonight but more a culmination of how you end up.
 
“I can’t believe it and I'm incredibly humbled.”

 
Each season, the superstar captain has found a way to improve and 2024 was no different with All Australian recognition and the Leigh Matthews MVP trophy.
 
“It’s my 11th season and ultimately it comes down to attitude. You’ve got to find things to improve upon or target,” he said.
 
“A lot of the things for me are team-based. I want us to play deeper than a week into finals. You want to find yourself there as much as possible.
 
“Always looking a little things or part of your game you can take to a new level.”

 
The 28-year-old left special praise for coach Luke Beveridge as he looked ahead to the 2025 campaign.
 
“Bevo has rounded me out in the sense that he gets you to think about things beyond the game. He has a great depth of thinking around how we can try and help each other.” he said.
 
“For me it’s about how both of us are continuing to influence the group in the best possible way.
 
“You need to look into things that didn’t work well. We won 14 games that is a good improvement on the previous season.
 
“We know there is things throughout the season that we did well, that will give us confidence going into next season. We beat some really good teams
 
“You can tell over the next few months that things are going to build.”