AFL 2022: ‘Better this week’: Crucial news for Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli

It’s all or nothing for the Western Bulldogs this weekend and the news is good for captain Marcus Bontempelli.

Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli has been declared a certain starter by coach Luke Beveridge for their do-or-die clash with Hawthorn in Launceston on Sunday.

To make the finals, the ninth-placed Bulldogs have to beat Hawthorn and also need Carlton to lose to Collingwood.

It was revealed last week that Bontempelli had been battling an adductor injury, but the premiership star opted to play against GWS and was key in the Bulldogs’ narrow five-point win that kept their season alive.

Beveridge said Bontempelli would be “raring to go” against the Hawks.

“He’ll play and he’s probably better this week than he was last week,” Beveridge said.

“He’s had some niggles throughout the course of the year and he grits his teeth and just applies himself for the team and shows tremendous leadership week to week.

“He’ll be really prepared for Sunday and the extra day (of rest) is helpful as well.

“It gives us a little bit more time to recover … he’ll be ready and raring to go on Sunday.”

Bulldogs head coach Luke Beveridge said Marcus Bontempelli was ‘raring to go’. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Beveridge also revealed that struggling key forward Josh Bruce would “more than likely” return to the line-up after he was managed last weekend.

Since returning from a serious knee injury, Bruce has only managed one goal in four games.

“You just don’t know with a key forward when it all clicks and when they get their timing right and when they make small adjustments in their game when it’s all going to happen for them,” Beveridge said.

“If he’s playing (we) anticipate he’s going to play really well for us.”

Beveridge stressed the importance for his team to focus on the job at hand against the Hawks, rather than be distracted by the different finals permutations with Carlton and St Kilda, who still have a very faint pulse, both playing on Sunday as well.

“We haven’t played them down there too many times over the years, I don’t think we’ve ever beaten them down there, not in my time anyway,” Beveridge said.

“So confront that challenge first off and then try not to get too caught up in the peripheral aspect of what could happen post(-game) if we do win, and that’s really the only way to approach it.

Josh Bruce is likely to return. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

“We know what we need to rely on if we win and obviously, if we get there, we’ll be pretty nervous about it.

“As we saw last week with GWS, it doesn’t really matter too much where teams are on the ladder.”

The Hawks also have their own motivation to win so they can send out retiring captain Ben McEvoy in style.

“I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Ben when I worked at Hawthorn,” said Beveridge, who was a former Hawks assistant.

“He’s just a great character, he’s been enormous for the Hawthorn Football Club, what an amazing recruit he’s been after he came over from the Saints.

“He’s achieved a hell of a lot in his career, not only as a premiership player but as skipper of the Hawks and he’s a great leader and a tremendous person.

“I’m sure that they want to give their all for Ben in his last game.”