Fremantle’s strategy towards Marcus Bontempelli has come under fire after the Western Bulldogs superstar delivered another stellar performance against the Dockers over the weekend.
Bontempelli maintained his impressive form against Justin Longmuir’s side, recording 30 disposals, 15 score involvements, and three goals, including a Goal of the Year contender, in a best-on-ground display during the Dogs’ 67-point victory.
Dual premiership Kangaroo David King questioned whether the Dockers undermined themselves by not giving more attention to the star midfielder. Although Hayden Young appeared to shadow Bontempelli at times, the Dockers chose not to use a traditional tag, a tactic that has regained popularity in 2024, a decision King believes backfired.
“What was your plan? ‘Don’t get beaten by what you know’ is the old coaching mantra,” King said on Fox Footy’s The First Crack. “I question if this game was lost on Wednesday at match committee. You can’t be losing games not coming in with a plan against Marcus Bontempelli.
“I’m looking saying: ‘Who’s going to tag him? Who’s going to stand next to ‘Bont’?’ ‘Bont’ would be thinking: ‘How good is this? I’ve got no one coming to me at stoppage’. And you wonder why he has 30 disposals, 15 score involvements, seven clearances and kicks three goals and destroys you for the fifth time in seven matches.
“This is another three voter — he has three Brownlow votes in five of the last seven matches. That is just ridiculous. What’s your planning? Is it to negate Bontempelli’s influence?”
King highlighted moments where no Dockers players were covering Bontempelli at stoppages and instances where he was given ample space in open play by his direct opponent, Nathan Fyfe.
“Look at this, just jog through the middle of the ground if you like. There’s his opponent, Nathan Fyfe, (there’s) a conversation to be had there: ‘If you can’t do it, we need to find someone who can’,” King said.
“This guy is a top-liner in our competition and was allowed to play at full tilt for 120 minutes. That’s unacceptable.”
King believes this loss could significantly impact the Dockers’ finals aspirations, as they have now fallen to eighth on the ladder, just half a game ahead of several clubs, including the Bulldogs, vying for a spot in the top eight.
“If I’m the Fremantle senior management, I’m saying: ‘What’s going on here? This is a must-win game for us. We’re just going to have the same finish to the season as the last couple of years?’,” King added.
“This guy (Bontempelli) is a freak player — have a plan, have something ready to fall back on. I understand you want to trust your players to win the game for you … taggers are the new black in the game and I just thought Fremantle really did themselves a disservice with their planning.
“I know it’s an unpopular thing to say, but you can’t be losing games on Wednesday. You just can’t.”
