Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli says he is eyeing a return against reigning premier Brisbane in Gather Round.

Bontempelli suffered a complex calf injury in the Dogs’ AAMI Community Series match against Hawthorn, ruling him out of the first few weeks of the 2025 season.

Speaking to Garry Lyon and Tim Watson as part of the Club’s annual Bulldogs Blitz, the 29-year-old said he was hoping to return by Gather Round.

“The good thing is that I feel great and really confident in our team from a medical perspective. I think the important part is obviously to get it right so there’s no issues down the track,” Bontempelli said.

“Hopefully (my return) is around 5-6 weeks. We’re looking in that vicinity.

“Where that takes us to is around Brisbane in Gather Round – in or around there is what we’re hoping.

“I wouldn’t expect to be getting out there before that period.”

Bontempelli also addressed his contract was not the priority at the moment.

“The injury throws a bit of a curveball in there that I wasn’t expecting, but you have to think of things on a personal level and canvass what the future might look like,” he said.

“I think for me, it’s really come down to priorities. I’ve spoken to (manager) Tommy Petroro about it probably irregularly to be honest; he knows at the minute my focus is elsewhere.”

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