The Western Bulldogs' exciting batch of youngsters is "a fair way" better than the group that carried the club to three consecutive preliminary final appearances, captain Robert Murphy says.
Murphy is well placed to make the call, having been one of the Bulldogs drafted in the late 1990s-early 2000s who went on to form the nucleus of Rodney Eade's 2008-10 preliminary final teams.
The Bulldogs skipper's contemporaries included rare talents such as Daniel Giansiracusa, Lindsay Gilbee, Will Minson, Adam Cooney and Ryan Griffen.
Murphy sees similarities between that group and the youngsters the Bulldogs have unearthed in recent years, but has no doubt today's pups are better placed for sustained on-field success.
"The attitude of it, of a young group of guys shaping the club, I think that's where I've seen the similarities," Murphy said at the AFL captains' day on Wednesday.
"As far as talent goes they're a lot better than what my group were – by a far way."
After taking father-son selections Mitch Wallis and Tom Liberatore at the end of 2010, the Bulldogs have since drafted elite young players such as Jake Stringer, Jack Macrae, Nathan Hrovat and Marcus Bontempelli, while snaring 2013's No.1 pick Tom Boyd from Greater Western Sydney in a trade last year.
Bontempelli has shown no signs this pre-season that he will suffer from the second-year blues in 2015 after finishing runner-up in last year's NAB AFL Rising Star award.
The 192cm midfielder rounded off his NAB Challenge campaign with an outstanding performance against Collingwood last Saturday night, finishing with 29 possessions, three goals and nine tackles.
Murphy joked the Bulldogs might be able to "squeeze" Bontempelli into their team for next Saturday night's round one clash against West Coast, conceding the 19-year-old was one of the most exciting young talents he had seen.
But the Bulldogs skipper was reluctant to single Bontempelli out from the rest of his "children".
"I've got to say he's part of a batch really of some players that have come into the club in the last three years who I'm as sure as I can be will be around for a long, long time," Murphy said.
"They're exceptional talents and love the club which is just as important."
Murphy was confident Boyd would not be affected by any outside expectations that came with the multi-million-dollar seven-year contract he signed with the Dogs.
"Clearly from the outside it's (a) high-profile big contract, I can understand that," Murphy said.
"I do have to remind myself that he is only 19 because he's such a mature young guy and the thing that we're trying to do – which all clubs do with their young players – (is get him) playing [his] role for the team which I know is not the sexiest quote in the world.
"But he's fully embraced that and I think he's really feeling a part of it.
"He's going to be around for a long, long time and he's attacked it the way we would have hoped."
