April 20 wasn't a particularly memorable date for the Western Bulldogs in 2014 — at least in terms of the result of the game.
Looking for a third win in row the Dogs faltered against Carlton, who had lost their last four matches, the Blues prevailing by 28 points at Etihad Stadium.
But there was a silver lining for the Bulldogs in that Sunday twilight match.
An 18-year-old named Marcus Bontempelli played his first AFL match, showing signs of the poise and skill that would take him a long way in footy.
As early as the first quarter, the man who would become known simply as 'The Bont' showed that he was someone who could be relied upon when the Dogs needed a lift.
The Bulldogs had fallen three goals behind late in the term when Bob Murphy, who would become captain the following year, handpassed to Bontempelli, another future skipper.
With a long left-foot kick that would become his trademark, Bonti found Luke Dahlhaus, who goaled.
The game didn't pan out as the Dogs had hoped that day, but The Bont, along with Murphy and Dahlhaus, would become a vital part of the team that broke a premiership drought two seasons later.
Marcus Bontempelli is one of several Bulldogs stars who made their debuts on April 20. Here are some of the others.
George Bisset, 1963: Like Bontempelli, George Bisset's first match ended in a disappointing loss, but Bisset made an immediate impact, kicking three goals. At just 168 cm (the same height as Caleb Daniel), the pint-sized Bisset became known to Footscray fans as 'Wee Georgie'. He played 166 fine games for the Bulldogs before moving to Collingwood in 1973 under the short-lived 10-year rule.
David Darcy, 1963: Standing 20 cm taller than 'Wee Georgie', David Darcy also played his first match for the Bulldogs on that day. Initially a half-forward, Darcy, the father of future skipper Luke Darcy, later established himself as one of the VFL's best key defenders. He played 133 games in red, white and blue before relocating to South Australia.
Kelvin Templeton, 1974: Some future stars don't make an immediate impact in their first match. In Kelvin Templeton's case, that certainly wasn't so. The 17-year-old from Traralgon was not at all overawed by kicking off his career at the most hostile of venues, Collingwood's Victoria Park.
Templeton bagged six goals as the Dogs fell just short of the Magpies that day. He went on to become a star at full forward and later centre half-forward, winning the Coleman Medal in 1979 and 1980 and the Brownlow Medal in 1981. He played 143 games for the Dogs between 1974 and 1982.
Evan Rees, 1946: Not the household name that Bisset, Darcy and Templeton are to this day, Evan Rees was nevertheless an excellent defender for Footscray in 80 matches between 1946 and 1950. Rees was named in the Dogs' best players in his debut match, a thrilling two-point win over eventual premiers Essendon in the opening round at Western Oval. Rees could have played many more games for the Bulldogs had he not accepted the captain-coach role at Coleraine in 1951. His career was sadly cut short later that year when he injured his back in a car accident.
