The good, the not so good, the exhilarating, the heartbreaking… we’ve taken a look at the Moments That Mattered during the AFL season.
From now until the full playing group returns for the start of pre-season on November 25, westernbulldogs.com.au will count down 19 moments that had a big impact in 2019.
**
Marcus Bontempelli and Jack Macrae are superstars.
We didn’t need them to earn All Australian honours to confirm that.
But it was nice tip of the cap to the midfield duo and their outstanding 2019 seasons.
Bontempelli earned his second All Australian jacket, named on a wing after featuring on the interchange in 2016, while Macrae’s selection was his first.
Both were pivotal in the Bulldogs’ charge towards September, playing every game.
Bontempelli averaged a career-high 27 disposals per game and was rated elite for metres gained, with an average of 508 metres per game.
The Bulldogs’ vice-captain also averaged 6.1 clearances, 7.5 score involvements, 5.5 inside-50s and five tackles per game.
Macrae was equally prolific, averaging 33.5 disposals per match.
The 25-year-old ball magnet arguably enjoyed his best season at AFL level, collecting 30-or-more disposals in his last 11 outings of 2019, with both his contested ball (13.7 per game) and uncontested ball (19.9 per game) winning ability rated as elite.
Stats aside, their influence on games for the Bulldogs was profound.
This was also acknowledged by the umpires, with Bontempelli and Macrae earning 22 Brownlow Medal votes each to finish equal eighth.
With both still in their mid-20s, there’s sure to be many more productive seasons ahead.
Counting down the 2019 Moments That Mattered…
