Marcus Bontempelli has leapt up into contention to finish the season as the Bulldogs’ highest-ranked player in the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award.

Bontempelli picked up ten votes in round 22 from Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge and North Melbourne’s Brad Scott, which takes him to third place, six votes behind Jake Stringer and nine behind Club leader Mitch Wallis.

Mitch Wallis holds his lead after a six-vote game, while Lachie Hunter picked up five votes.

The 19-year-old’s impressive performance also saw him leap 17 places into AFL Player Ratings Top-20 – officially ranking Bontempelli in the Top-20 players in the competition.

Now ranked 20th overall in the competition, and the youngest player in the Top-50, Bontempelli collected 23 disposals at 87 per cent efficiency, and 18 contested possessions in Saturday’s win – and jumped midfield stars including Gary Ablett, Cyril Rioli, Ryan Griffen, Dyson Heppell, David Mundy and Adam Treloar to officially move into the competition’s elite.

Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe holds the overall lead in the AFLPA Player of the Year polling, with Sydney’s Dan Hannebery the only play that can catch him with one round of the home and away season remaining. 

Round 22 North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs

10 Marcus Bontempelli (WB)

6 Mitch Wallis (WB)

5 Lachie Hunter (WB)

4 Jake Stringer (WB)

4 Robbie Tarrant (NM)

1 Shane Biggs (WB)

Western Bulldogs leader board after round 22

46 Mitch Wallis

43 Jake Stringer

37 Marcus Bontempelli

34 Robert Murphy

32 Easton Wood

31 Matthew Boyd

27 Liam Picken

24 Luke Dahlhaus

21 Jack Macrae

19 Tory Dickson

19 Lachie Hunter

Overall leader board after round 22

100 Nat Fyfe (Frem)

94 Dan Hannebery (Syd)

82 Josh Kennedy (Syd)

73 Todd Goldstein (NM)

73 David Mundy (Frem)

69 Matt Priddis (WC)

68 Andrew Gaff (WC)

67 Scott Pendlebury (Coll)

65 Patrick Dangerfield (Adel)

61 Dustin Martin (Rich)