Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli is cautious of putting a ceiling on the potential of young gun Bailey Smith.

Smith, 20, hasn’t missed a game in the red, white and blue since his debut in the Bulldogs’ 2019 season opener against Sydney, putting in a number of impressive performances considering his age and experience.

Bontempelli said it’s “up to him” now to continue developing as a player as Smith seeks that consistency.

“You hate putting limitations and ceilings on young players in the competition of Bailey’s quality,” Bontempelli told 3AW Sportsday on Wednesday evening.

“I don’t think he’s missed a game since he first joined us, and that’s an incredible feat when you consider he’s such a young player and the demands of the game significantly changing at different points over the last few years.

“He’s still probably discovering as such a young player what he’s capable of, so it’s up to him to just continue to produce more of what he’s already shown in different games.

“Some games he’s absolutely smashed and really shown his potential, and now I think as he progresses through the levels and years – you just search for consistency and you look to be able to produce that on more occasions.”

The skipper praised Smith’s ability to impose himself on matches, and is excited for what his future holds.

“Naturally he’s a super athlete – he’s a power runner and can cover so much ground, but he’s also a very damaging ball-user,” Bontempelli said.

“So when you pair those two, you just sort of wonder what may be and what might be possible. 

“We’re certainly lucky to have a player like Bailey and just want to really enforce him to chase more and be better year on year.”

The Western Bulldogs will meet Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Monday afternoon in the 2021 AAMI Community Series.