THERE was a reason Marcus Bontempelli was the youngest member of this year's All Australian side – he stands up for his team when it needs him to.

And boy, did the 20-year-old rise to the occasion in the Bulldogs' pulsating 23-point semi-final win over Hawthorn. 

Squaring off against some of the biggest-game players of the modern era, Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge and Shaun Burgoyne, Bontempelli beat them at their own game. His performance marked a changing of the guard as he lifted his side to a memorable win.

Highlights: second semi-final, Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs

Performance against Hawthorn

With Liam Shiels prodding and nudging him from the first bounce, Bontempelli worked into the game by being busy and energetic around stoppages. 

He used his nine-centimetre height advantage over Shiels to good effect, regularly jumping as the third man up at around the ground bounces and racking up seven hit-outs in the process.

Bontempelli had four clearances in the first term, but started to have more of an impact in the second as he spent time in the forward half. He outpointed Hodge beautifully in a second-quarter marking contest, protecting the space behind him with expert bodywork and taking a brilliant contested mark to slot his first major and slash Hawthorn's advantage to five points.

Later in the term, as the Bulldogs had all the momentum, Bontempelli won a big 50-50 ball in the middle of the ground that led to a Tom Boyd set-shot that would have put the Bulldogs in front with only two minutes left. Boyd missed, but Bontempelli's impact was starting to bubble to the surface.

Bontempelli plays to his strengths. He is composed with the footy and picks the right options. That his 27 disposals went at 81.5 per cent efficiency underlines his temperament, and he also has a knack for producing match-defining moments.

His mark against Hodge in the second term was one such example, but two others were just as noteworthy. The second moment came late in the third term as he brought the raucous 87,823 strong crowd to its feet as he slammed home the goal that gave the surging Dogs an almost unassailable 26-point lead at three-quarter time.

Then, as the final term began, Bontempelli snuffed out any chance of a Hawthorn comeback by deflecting a Hodge handball out of defence and, in one motion, swooping on the footy to find an unmarked Tory Dickson inside forward 50.

Dickson nailed the goal from directly in front as the Dogs extended their advantage to 32 points and marched into their first preliminary final since 2010.

Bont appetit: Five things we learned from the semi-final

Bontempelli comes to grips with Hawk Liam Shiels. Picture: AFL Photos

High point

There were many, but Bontempelli's effort to deflect Hodge's handball at the start of the fourth term was crucial to ending any hope of Hawthorn staging a miraculous comeback. 

That instance also signified that the young Bulldogs were not afraid of the aura surrounding the Hawthorn players.

Bontempelli concentrated on the footy, and on instinct read it off the hand and stuck his arm in its path. He then gathered the ball off the deck and spotted a wide-open Dickson. It was a big moment and further heightened Bontempelli's reputation as a player who thrives on the big stage.

Low point

It was a near-flawless best afield performance, but you could take marks off him for a relatively quiet start to the game. Hawthorn was quick to grab the ascendancy from the opening bounce and direct opponent Liam Shiels was right in the thick of things. Shiels had a game-high eight disposals and three tackles in the first term, while Bontempelli took a little bit of time to work into the game. 

From there, though, it would be like deducting points off an Olympic diver who scores a 9.5 from the judges for a marginal shallow entry into the pool.

The stats sheet

What they said in the rooms  

"For me it's about trying to stay in the game and those moments just pop up. As long as you're cued into the game and you're on, then that's probably all I'm really focussed on. You don't particularly pigeonhole yourself as being one of those players, it's probably just a natural instinct that you want to stay in the game at every moment and then those moments pop up and hopefully you grasp them." – Bontempelli speaking to Channel Seven 

"He's been awesome all year and we expect that sort of performance from him in a final. That's what makes a great player - his intercept (on Hodge) at the start of the last quarter, where we needed one to steady the ship, and that was probably the end of the game. He was really good in those big moments." – teammate Lachie Hunter

Full match details and stats

How will he fare against Greater Western Sydney?

Greater Western Sydney's young midfield brigade is regarded as one of the deepest and brightest on-ball contingents in the competition. But the Bulldogs believe they should possess a similar reputation and Bontempelli is central to that. 

The poised midfielder will likely have Stephen Coniglio, who performs run-with roles for GWS, for company. Unlike Shiels, who is heavily defensively focussed, Coniglio can also be damaging the other way. As such, 'The Bont' will have to be wary of Coniglio's ability to charge the other way.

In a poor showing against the Giants when the teams faced off against each other in round round nine, there was no surprise that Bontempelli, who collected a team-high 32 disposals, was the Bulldogs' best player. If he stands up in a high-pressure final again, the Bulldogs will have every chance of keeping their remarkable 2016 finals narrative alive.

Bontempelli celebrates a goal with Lachie Hunter. Picture: AFL Photos