“What if he says no?”: King poses free agent Bontempelli hypothetical

Nic Negrepontis • January 31st, 2025 11:08 am

Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli is a free agent this year and yet to re-sign with the club.

David King has posed a simple question – “What if he says no?”

What if arguably the greatest Bulldog of all-time, captain of the club and six-time best and fairest winner decides that his best chance to win a premiership is elsewhere?

King, while not saying in any way that this could happen, posed the scenario on Fireball Friday.

“This is a deeper question again… Marcus Bontempelli is a free agent at the end of this season. He’s won six best and fairests, he’s a six-time All-Australian, he’s seen what’s happening with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, he’s seen what happened with Bailey Smith last year,” King told SEN Breakfast.

“He’s seen long-time teammates like Jack Macrae and Caleb Daniel be moved on last year.

“There’s nothing more that this guy is chasing than premierships. He’s already won the one. He’s done it all in the game. It wouldn’t be a financial discussion. He will be well paid wherever he is.

“What if he says no? What if he says ‘I’m off’?

“It would be the biggest decision we’ve seen made by one player for probably thirty years. Patrick Dangerfield was big, but he was essentially coming home.

“We saw Lance Franklin coming and Gary Ablett was different circumstances,” King added later on.

“If Bont doesn’t see this group winning another premiership, maybe he says ‘you know what, it’s been great, we’ve been terrific for each other’ – and I know he loves the club, but the decision is still there to be made. He hasn’t signed.

“If it’s halfway through the season and there’s all these other things bubbling and it looks like another year is gone – what if he says no? What if he does?

“He would only be playing for premierships now, wouldn’t he? That’s the only motivation.”

Kane Cornes personally hopes Bontempelli remains a one-club player.

“I hope he doesn’t (leave),” Cornes said.

“It would be chaos and carnage for the Dogs. It hasn’t felt like a happy group to me. There’s always a Jamarra or a Josh Dunkley or a Bailey Smith.

“It just feels like year after year they can’t get a clean run at it. I don’t know what the reason it is. Everyone says the players love Luke Beveridge.

“I just hope he stays. He’s the greatest Bulldog of all time and I want to see the greatest Bulldog of all time finish his career being chaired off as a Bulldog.

“But maybe that’s not the way young players think now. They all follow American sports. There’s very few Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry types that stay with their team.”

“Who would be chasing him? Everything throw up Collingwood, let’s just say it’s Carlton. Wherever he goes, they would be premiership favourites,” King said.

“Imagine having Bont and Cripps or Bont and Daicos. Wherever he goes, they would become premiership favourites.

“This is going to be tracked heavily. It’s the biggest signature in footy right now. Does he sign mid-year, does he hold out, we will monitor this.

“He might say – ‘I love the way Hawthorn is going about it. I might go there.”

Listen to the Bont hypothetical chat below: