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A report linking Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli to a potential Whitten Oval exit has been shut down.
The report in the West Australian asserted Collingwood was ‘considered the frontrunners to poach Bontempelli if he does not re-sign with the Bulldogs’, adding West Coast was also throwing its hat in the ring for the six-time All-Australian.
It said Bontempelli, eligible for unrestricted free agency, ‘has been in talks’ with the Pies and that the superstar ball-getter was set to again meet with club officials.
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But veteran journalist Caroline Wilson shut down speculation Bontempelli could be on his way out after 12 years at the Kennel.
“He’s not going anywhere, and he does this every contract,” Wilson said on Seven.
“I’m absolutely convinced he’s not going anywhere, and I don’t think the Bulldogs have got any issues at all.”
The 29-year-old made a stellar return to AFL action from a calf injury last Sunday night, raking in 30 disposals, eight clearances, five inside-50s and two goals in a demolition of St Kilda.
The three-time AFL Players Association MVP was drafted No.4 by the Bulldogs in the 2013 national draft.
“He said at the start of the season — and I asked him 18 different ways — ‘When? How? How much? How long?’ He was adamant it wasn’t part of his psyche, (instead concerned with) ‘we want to get off to a good start to the season’,” Herald Sun journalist Lauren Wood said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle last week.
“Surely he is staying …”
Josh Barnes added: “It would be the biggest ripple in many, many years if he decided to pack up and walk out of the Bulldogs. He just has to stay.
“He’s an ornament of the club; he’s the best player they’ve ever had potentially. It’s just impossible to imagine him in another jumper, isn’t it?”
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Bontempelli isn’t the only star the Pies are said to be looking at, with fellow out-of-contract midfielder Matt Rowell also understood to be on the club’s radar this year.
