Adam Cooney says captaincy can wait for Marcus Bontempelli, Easton Wood best option

THE Western Bulldogs are looking for a new captain with Easton Wood and Marcus Bontempelli the leading candidates. Adam Cooney has a firm view on who it should be.

Marcus Bontempelli should be protected from captaincy says Adam Cooney. Picture: Michael Klein

BROWNLOW Medallist Adam Cooney has urged the Western Bulldogs not to burden star midfielder Marcus Bontempelli with the captaincy too soon, saying Easton Wood should be Bob Murphy’s successor.

As the Bulldogs use the off-season to investigate what went wrong in their premiership defence, they will also need to settle on a new captain heading into the 2018 season - and beyond.

Wood, who led the club superbly in Murphy’s absence in 2016 and held the premiership cup aloft, is favoured to win the role, though Bontempelli will have his admirers and is considered a captain-in-waiting.

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Cooney said the Bulldogs are well placed in terms of leadership options, but stressed that Bontempelli should be allowed to “enjoy his footy” for a few more years without having the added burden of the captaincy.

“Let him win his Brownlow first, let him win another flag first,” Cooney said of Bontempelli. “There is a lot of off-field stuff you need to do (as captain) ... and he doesn’t need to do that (yet).”

Cooney said the best scenario would be have a few bridging seasons with the highly-capable Wood in the role before he handed over to Bontempelli.

Marcus Bontempelli, Bob Murphy and Easton Wood celebrate a win earlier this year.

“You have to be across everything that is happening at a football club,” Cooney told AFL Nation. “Easton Wood has done that, and he is certainly that type of character.

“They should give it to him for two or three years, and ‘Bont’ will take over when he is maybe 25 or something like that.”

Wood turns 28 next week and is contracted to the club until the end of the 2020 season.

Internally, he played a significant role in keeping the Bulldogs on track through a tough home-and-away season after Murphy’s injury last year, and led magnificently during last year’s finals series. He was happy to hand the reins back to Murphy on his return this year.

Bontempelli, who turns 22 in November, captained the club briefly in Wood’s absence last year, becoming the youngest leader to captain a winning side. He has long-term captaincy ambitions, but acknowledged earlier this year that he has plenty of time on his side and is happy to learn from those around him.

He told the Herald Sun earlier this year: “For me I think (it’s important) to learn in this time as I grow as a player and a person from the many good leaders that are before me.”

“If something like that is on the horizon I’ll look to take it in my stride, like I have all the other things since I started my career.”

Matthew Boyd and Robert Murphy are chaired off. Picture: Mark Stewart