Bonti's Role Moving Forward

[WallyStringhaus]

In the 2015 Off Season, Mark Stevens sent out a tweet revealing that our 2nd year star had undergone hip surgery. Three seasons on and the problem still seems to be troubling the great man. When he missed the Round 7 clash against the Suns, Club Medical Service Manager Chris Bell reported that "he wasn't able to hit his high end speed and agility". Having not been the quickest player at the best of times this news was a worrying sign for the future and gave legs to the rumour that Bont may indeed be dealing with a degenerative hip condition. Marcus continued to struggle throughout the season missing two more games before hitting a rich vein of form in the last few weeks of the year. It is this second half of 2018 that I want to focus on.

Having played predominantly as an inside mid for his career there appeared to be a switch in strategy late in the season which helped not only Bont but the team as a whole. Consider the following numbers from the 2018 H&A season;

Outside Mids: - % of disposals that are uncontested
Josh Kelly 67%, Isaac Smith 74.2%, Andrew Gaff 69.4%

Inside Mids: - % of disposals that are uncontested
Patty Cripps 41.8%, Nat Fyfe 47.6%, Paddy Dangerfield 47.8%

These guys are the best of the best at what they do and you can see there is a clear consistency in how they win their share of the footy. Lets have a look at the Bont over the years;

2014: 55%
2015: 51.5 %
2016: 57.8%
2017: 51%
2018: 57.5%

These numbers are pretty consistent and most comparable to Scott Pendelbury when he was a bit younger. Lets delve a bit deeper into the 2018 numbers though;

Rounds 1 - 13: 50.8% of disposals uncontested
Rounds 14 - 23: 65.4% of disposals uncontested
Rounds 21 - 23: 69.3% of disposals uncontested

In fact after having accumulated 20+ uncontested possessions in a match just the three times in his first 101 games of footy, Bontempelli went for 24, 24 & 22 over the last three weeks of the season.

Is it purely coincidence that these numbers started to rise with Josh Dunkley's move to the engine room?

Are we barking up the wrong tree in thinking we need to throw cap space and valuable draft picks at these outside players like Kelly, Gaff and Scully when the answer to some of our problems might already be on our list?

I must admit an on-ball division of;

Trengove/English, Dunkley, Macrae
Hunter/Richards, Liber, Bontempelli

looks pretty bloody juicy to me...

 

[Virgin Dog]

In the 2015 Off Season, Mark Stevens sent out a tweet revealing that our 2nd year star had undergone hip surgery. Three seasons on and the problem still seems to be troubling the great man. When he missed the Round 7 clash against the Suns, Club Medical Service Manager Chris Bell reported that "he wasn't able to hit his high end speed and agility". Having not been the quickest player at the best of times this news was a worrying sign for the future and gave legs to the rumour that Bont may indeed be dealing with a degenerative hip condition. Marcus continued to struggle throughout the season missing two more games before hitting a rich vein of form in the last few weeks of the year. It is this second half of 2018 that I want to focus on.

Having played predominantly as an inside mid for his career there appeared to be a switch in strategy late in the season which helped not only Bont but the team as a whole. Consider the following numbers from the 2018 H&A season;

Outside Mids: - % of disposals that are uncontested
Josh Kelly 67%, Isaac Smith 74.2%, Andrew Gaff 69.4%

Inside Mids: - % of disposals that are uncontested
Patty Cripps 41.8%, Nat Fyfe 47.6%, Paddy Dangerfield 47.8%

These guys are the best of the best at what they do and you can see there is a clear consistency in how they win their share of the footy. Lets have a look at the Bont over the years;

2014: 55%
2015: 51.5 %
2016: 57.8%
2017: 51%
2018: 57.5%

These numbers are pretty consistent and most comparable to Scott Pendelbury when he was a bit younger. Lets delve a bit deeper into the 2018 numbers though;

Rounds 1 - 13: 50.8% of disposals uncontested
Rounds 14 - 23: 65.4% of disposals uncontested
Rounds 21 - 23: 69.3% of disposals uncontested

In fact after having accumulated 20+ uncontested possessions in a match just the three times in his first 101 games of footy, Bontempelli went for 24, 24 & 22 over the last three weeks of the season.

Is it purely coincidence that these numbers started to rise with Josh Dunkley's move to the engine room?

Are we barking up the wrong tree in thinking we need to throw cap space and valuable draft picks at these outside players like Kelly, Gaff and Scully when the answer to some of our problems might already be on our list?

I must admit an on-ball division of;

Trengove/English, Dunkley, Macrae
Hunter/Richards, Liber, Bontempelli

looks pretty bloody juicy to me...

I think the general consensus has been that we need the outside player for their speed and class. Bonts has one but not the other. If his hip is going to be a recurring issue, this further hampers just how much run he can provide.

Someone quick and good with the ball would be an ideal target for us. In terms of Bonts' role in the future, I can see him being rotated between Forward and midfield as he has been for the latter half of this year. Gives him a rest when he needs it, plus as you said we don't really have as much need for him in the middle due to Dunks massive improvement

 

[WallyStringhaus]

I think the general consensus has been that we need the outside player for their speed and class. Bonts has one but not the other. If his hip is going to be a recurring issue, this further hampers just how much run he can provide.

Someone quick and good with the ball would be an ideal target for us. In terms of Bonts' role in the future, I can see him being rotated between Forward and midfield as he has been for the latter half of this year. Gives him a rest when he needs it, plus as you said we don't really have as much need for him in the middle due to Dunks massive improvement

You raise some valid points however, I think speed can come in different forms. Speed of mind and decision making is just as important as leg speed, as is the speed at which the football gets from point A to point B. Bont's evasiveness, footy IQ, ability to effectively use both sides of his body and penetration in his kicking more than makes up for a slight lack of leg speed. I lost count of the amount of times I watched Saad use his speed this year only to have it result in a bad decision or his forwards having no idea when he was actually going to kick the ball and a turnover ensues.

 

[Virgin Dog]

You raise some valid points however, I think speed can come in different forms. Speed of mind and decision making is just as important as leg speed, as is the speed at which the football gets from point A to point B. Bont's evasiveness, footy IQ, ability to effectively use both sides of his body and penetration in his kicking more than makes up for a slight lack of leg speed. I lost count of the amount of times I watched Saad use his speed this year only to have it result in a bad decision or his forwards having no idea when he was actually going to kick the ball and a turnover ensues.

Definitely true. It's not enough to just add the leg speed, and not enough for quick decision making, we need both. I honestly believe that eventually Ed Richards will fit this role perfectly. If we're willing to be patient and not expecting to compete until 2021 or so, then I think we should be fine in this area

 

[stefoid]

If he isnt our best user of the ball by hand or foot, in pretty much any situation, I dont know who is. As such, we want to maximise the number of times the ball is in his hands. We want him midfield running up and down through the middle of the ground. Not stuck forward waiting for someone else to kick a reasonable I50, or burrowing for the ball with 2 opposition players scragging him.

We have other players who can run all day up and down the wings - we know who they are. We have other players who can burrow and scrap on their knees to fire out a handball - we know who they are. Let Bont concentrate on maximising his possession count in the most dangerous part of the ground - dont worry - the opposition will man him up with a hrd tag - he wont be getting off easy. (and it doesnt hurt to have a smart 194cm player who is strong overhead zoning the corridor when the opposition have the ball either)

 

[webbo]

I liked the move to the outside. I think that is probably his future and he can be a break glass in case of emergency inside mid.
Ideally we want him delivering the ball into the forward fifty. I think he could be an Adelaide Tom Lynch type player, with less running capacity but much better ball use. That is a player that in our system we lack a little bit. I think there was an idea that Schache could be that player, however his ball use hasn't been as good as I thought it might be and seems to be better suited a bit deeper.

 

[dogwatch]

You've got me convinced Wally. Bont doesn't have to be the player who accelerates away from the pack like Cooney used to do. He just has to get the footy and he'll find space to make an effective disposal, often a kick i50. And then he can spend about 20% of the time forward (or be thrown forward for a whole quarter if we need to change things around). That will keep the opposition guessing.

Although Richards looks the type I still think we can do with another speedy player with good disposal. Your juicy midfield looks fine until we start losing a few to injuries.

Permanently removing Bont from the inside role also implies we need at least one more of those, but perhaps Rhylee is our man there?

 

[WallyStringhaus]

Your juicy midfield looks fine until we start losing a few to injuries.

Permanently removing Bont from the inside role also implies we need at least one more of those, but perhaps Rhylee is our man there?

I haven't lost hope that both Dahl and Wal will re-sign DW. Plus we have the stratospherically awesome Toby McLean and I'm quite bullish about Bailey Williams as a mid too.

 

[Del165892]

You raise some valid points however, I think speed can come in different forms. Speed of mind and decision making is just as important as leg speed, as is the speed at which the football gets from point A to point B. Bont's evasiveness, footy IQ, ability to effectively use both sides of his body and penetration in his kicking more than makes up for a slight lack of leg speed. I lost count of the amount of times I watched Saad use his speed this year only to have it result in a bad decision or his forwards having no idea when he was actually going to kick the ball and a turnover ensues.

Leg speed is so ridiculously over rated on here. You'll see a player use leg speed to effectively break lines only a handful of times in any given match.

 

[Yojimbo]

Leg speed is so ridiculously over rated on here. You'll see a player use leg speed to effectively break lines only a handful of times in any given match.

You do remember it though, don't you Scrag-City. Closing speed for Defenders, speed on the lead for Forwards, breathtaking breakaway
speed in the midfield, clearly you can't have enough speed. Naughton and Richards prime examples and stand out as a consequence.

On Bont and Cripps as well once you start to creep into the plus 90 kg range, the time in the midfield must change like Pavlich and
Brown before them learn from the past and maximise the asset that is the Bont.

 

[Mofra]

You raise some valid points however, I think speed can come in different forms. Speed of mind and decision making is just as important as leg speed, as is the speed at which the football gets from point A to point B. Bont's evasiveness, footy IQ, ability to effectively use both sides of his body and penetration in his kicking more than makes up for a slight lack of leg speed. I lost count of the amount of times I watched Saad use his speed this year only to have it result in a bad decision or his forwards having no idea when he was actually going to kick the ball and a turnover ensues.

Bingo.

Exhibit A: Justin Sherman. Am ex teammate of his at the Bulldogs noted he had excellent speed but tended to use it to run into the opposition which isn't very ideal.

Exhibit B: Jimmy Bartel. Was never a super quick player but moved the ball on very quickly and not as a hot-potato either, his decision making was excellent. Speed of ball > leg-speed.

 

[Mofra]

Permanently removing Bont from the inside role also implies we need at least one more of those, but perhaps Rhylee is our man there?

In time, yes.
In 2019, there's a guy called Tom, who missed this year with an ACL who should be pretty handy.

 

[RedWhite&Blue]

I liked the move to the outside. I think that is probably his future and he can be a break glass in case of emergency inside mid.
Ideally we want him delivering the ball into the forward fifty. I think he could be an Adelaide Tom Lynch type player, with less running capacity but much better ball use. That is a player that in our system we lack a little bit. I think there was an idea that Schache could be that player, however his ball use hasn't been as good as I thought it might be and seems to be better suited a bit deeper.

My mind keeps going back to that perfectly weighted dart to Gowers in the final game against Richmond which resulted in a Dunks goal - there are not many players in the league that could have made that kick and Bont nailed it as expected.

 

[webbo]

My mind keeps going back to that perfectly weighted dart to Gowers in the final game against Richmond which resulted in a Dunks goal - there are not many players in the league that could have made that kick and Bont nailed it as expected.

I think that is what we need in this side. Schache has shown that he can make smart leads and kick pretty well for goal, now we need our best ball users getting it too him. I love Dunkley as an inside mid and think that's his future. If we have Libba, Dunks, Wallis as inside mids, then McLean, Macrae, Bont as inside/outside with Hunter, Richards, Daniel as outside/wings that looks pretty good to me. It does lack a little bit of pace, but if Lynch continues developing he helps and is a good ball user. I think West will play the first few seasons up forward as he seems to have a good goal sense and can pressure well.

Williams is a real wildcard option. He's a great mark and has packed on some weight. Will he have a mid role?

 

[dogwatch]

In time, yes.
In 2019, there's a guy called Tom, who missed this year with an ACL who should be pretty handy.

True. However I wasn't counting him because Wally had already included him in his six.

I know you could say it's Bont out, Libba in based on what we had in mid-2018 but we don't know how well his knees will hold up (or Dunks shoulders) so who are the quality depth candidates? Wallis, Dahl, West ...? I don't see Williams as predominantly inside but perhaps he could play both roles at times, like Macrae does.

 

[TMoney22]

Bont is the only player on our list who consistently kicks the ball to where forwards should lead rather than on top of their head or over it.
So yes anywhere where he can deliver the ball inside 50 is great.

 

[Unorth]

Bont's led the team for inside 50s per game every season he's been on the team, and led us in total inside 50s for every season except his first.

I think the biggest question is just how much time he spends as a forward. As the season went on it kind of seemed that we lessened his time up forward, threw him right in the middle, and he began accumulating career highs. Overall though we know that we want him getting it inside 50, and have made sure he's the team leader of that stat since he got here.

 

[Mofra]

Bont is the only player on our list who consistently kicks the ball to where forwards should lead rather than on top of their head or over it.
So yes anywhere where he can deliver the ball inside 50 is great.

I'm going to throw out one name here - Schache. He seems to be very good with inside 50s as well.

 

[BarryMorgan]

Mixture of mid, forward, captain, messiah and saviour of mankind.

 

[Braybrook Son]

With Libba back, Bont, Libba And Macrae, our midfield looks a lot cleaner!

 

[Juddernaut08]

Bont is the only player on our list who consistently kicks the ball to where forwards should lead rather than on top of their head or over it.
So yes anywhere where he can deliver the ball inside 50 is great.

Agreed with this. Playing in similar position to Dusty is his go imo.

 

[LittleG]

This outside role that isn't on a HFF is the modern CHF. It's where he belongs.

HFF are the ones to provide links via the wings, the more central player is CHF. Example is Dusty. Bont can do that and kicks better than Dusty.

Wings in our era are currently going back into defence to provide outlets, crumb and block space. These guys are high endurance and can make good decisions getting the ball out of d50.

 

[Juddernaut08]

This outside role that isn't on a HFF is the modern CHF. It's where he belongs.

HFF are the ones to provide links via the wings, the more central player is CHF. Example is Dusty. Bont can do that and kicks better than Dusty.

Wings in our era are currently going back into defence to provide outlets, crumb and block space. These guys are high endurance and can make good decisions getting the ball out of d50.

Agreed with this. I said it on our Carlton board (see quote below), but if there's one strength that Bont has over most of the comp it's his delivery to your forwards.

It's a huge weapon, and it doesn't require him to run his hip into the ground.

The main weapon I think Bont has over Cripps and most players in the comp is his entry kick. He is so dangerous playing CHF...taking the mark about 60-70 out and whirling around to pinpoint his forwards to perfection.

Both Cripps and Bont strangely have the yips in front of goals from time to time, so it's not as a FF. But as a CHF, Bont's ability to get it into his forwards is astounding. Cripps+Charlie+Bont would be immense.

 

[Dale4captain]

A couple of things.

1. The ball will always move quicker than the man. Period.
2. A creative/classy ball user is ALWAYS more valuable than someone with some toe.

Give me someone that uses the footy decisively and to a high standard. Speed is generally overrated as a number 1 trait in modern footy. You need more weapons than that.

 

[LittleG]

Agreed with this. I said it on our Carlton board (see quote below), but if there's one strength that Bont has over most of the comp it's his delivery to your forwards.

It's a huge weapon, and it doesn't require him to run his hip into the ground.

We would be happy to take Cripps & Curnow off your hands to make the combination! [emoji6]

It's why comparing Cripps to Bont make us dogs fans angry. Bont does things Cripps can't and Bont can't compare to Cripps on the inside. It's like Apples and Oranges, both a great but aren't the same.

Our midfield is functioning far better with Bont forward, I hope the coaches keep him there.