Highly touted recruit Marcus Bontempelli made his first appearance in Club colours on Friday, playing a pivotal role in the Footscray Bulldogs practice clash against the Northern Blues.

While the Footscray lineup were defeated by the smallest of margins after a late Carlton goal, the 18-year-old showed flashes of why the Bulldogs used pick four in the 2013 AFL Draft to secure his services.

“I am happy I got through unscathed, coming in with a little bit of knee soreness, I was really happy to get through without any pain and get through as much of the game as I could,” Bontempelli said. 

“The first game of the year you want to come in and have a bit of impact.

“I did that for some parts but obviously as the games keep coming I really want to develop a consistency to be able to do that throughout my game.”

An outstanding early goal showcased his class but the tall utility was more concerned with bringing more consistency to his game.

“The boys get around you and you get a bit of buzz about you [after a goal] and I think that keeps you going for the next three quarters,” he said.

“I was happy with that part of play but it was just a small part of the game and there was another three quarters to go, so you have to quickly switch back into defensive mode and restart.”