Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli is set to play more minutes up forward this season in a bid to make their forward line more dynamic.
If Bontempelli plays more time as a permanent forward in 2018, he presents a nightmare match up for the opposition.
Tim Watson believes that the two-time Charlie Sutton medallist is the all-round package that can dominate in the air and at ground level. In a bid to fill the void left by departed forwards Jake Stringer, Travis Cloke and Stewart Crameri, Bontempelli could form a formidable partnership alongside Josh Schache in a new look forward line.
โIโd be playing him 60-40, 60 percent forward, 40 percent midfield,โ Watson said on SEN Breakfast on Monday morning.
โI think the best you get out of Bontempelli is the same youโre going to get of Dangerfield, the same youโre going to get the best out of Fyfe.
โHeโs a matchup nightmare and he creates. Heโs one of those players who not only does he contest in the air and heโs capable of marking, but heโs so clever when the ball hits the ground.
โHe can actually distribute the ball to someone in a better position and create goal scoring opportunities.
โI think heโs an absolute gun, and I think we will see a lot of that this year.โ
Gary Lyon however is concerned that the Bulldogs don't have the right mix in their forward half to kick a winning score under pressure.
โPart of it is their ability to score, the ability to convert their opportunities once they go forward. Iโm not sure theyโve got the makeup right,โ Lyon said.
โI think theyโve got seven or eight blokes who are 198 centimetres plus, I donโt know how they balance up (Jack) Redpath, (Josh) Schache, (Tom) Boyd, (Jordan) Roughead, how they fit inside their forward 50 and whether itโs the right matchup going forward.โ
The Bulldogs kicked 100 points and had 10 different goal scorers in their opening JLT win over Hawthorn, which would be a big positive for Luke Beveridge as the new season draws near.
The Bulldogs complete their pre-season preparations against Collingwood on Saturday.
