Marcus Bontempelli will start season 2017 as one of the competition’s leading midfielders according to the AFL’s official stats gurus, Champion Data.
After a season in which he averaged 24.3 disposals, four marks and five tackles per contest, Bontempelli was ranked fifth ahead of Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury, and Adelaide’s Rory Sloane.
Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield took out the top spot, followed by Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe and Sydney’s Josh Kennedy.
Bob, Boyd crack Champion Data’s top ten
The rankings are based on the Official AFL Player Ratings, with an emphasis on the quality of games played rather than quantity.
It was a season to remember for the 21-year-old Bontempelli who capped off the Bulldogs’ historic premiership win with his first Charles Sutton Medal last October.
Bontempelli was the youngest Charles Sutton Medal winner since David Thorpe in 1968, and the only player since Ted Whitten to win the award in a premiership year.
CHAMPION DATA’S TOP 10 MIDFIELDERS
1. Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)
2. Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
3. Josh Kennedy (Sydney)
4. Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
5. Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
6. Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
7. Rory Sloane (Adelaide)
8. Gary Ablett (Gold Coast)
9. Joel Selwood (Geelong)
10. Luke Parker (Sydney)
