THE all-time great players never make excuses.

Marcus Bontempelli could have hidden behind injuries and illness in 2022. Instead he toiled through all but one of the Western Bulldogs' 23 matches. Lingering sickness as well as a damaged foot and adductor problem curtailed his normally extraordinary standards. He was merely an OK contributor in a season that ended in an elimination final. He 'only' finished fourth in the best-and-fairest, a placing that would be a source of pride for mere mortals but one that was Bontempelli's lowest in that award since his debut 2014 season.

But Bontempelli is back to his best in 2023. Fully fit, he has resumed being brilliant weekly, with round six's performance against Fremantle in Perth being near-perfect. His cleanness with disposal, even with some handballs that had maximum degrees of difficulty attached, destroyed the Dockers.

At 0-2 after losses to Melbourne and St Kilda, the Bulldogs' season was looming as worrying. Bontempelli has led the way out of the danger zone, steering his side to wins against Brisbane and Richmond, a more than acceptable loss against Port Adelaide in round five before his commanding output last Friday night.

I argued in this column in May, 2021 that Bontempelli had already established himself as the greatest modern era Bulldog, and possibly the club's best-ever. And while his 2022 season was his least effective since he was an 18-year-old straight out of school starting out in the AFL world, it enhanced his greatness because of the adversity he endured.

SEVEN THINGS WE LEARNED Battling Blues need more avenues to goal

There will be Bulldogs' diehards who will never allow anyone to be judged greater than Ted Whitten. Chris Grant, Doug Hawkins, Brad Johnson, John Schultz and Gary Dempsey are other Dogs' greats in this conversation.

In 2014, Bontempelli's first year, he was somehow overlooked as the official Rising Star. In the eight seasons since, his finishes in the best-and-fairest award have been, in order, third, first, first, third, first, second, first, fourth. Add to that All-Australian blazers in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Winning a best-and-fairest in his third year in a premiership-winning season as a 20-year-old was an extraordinary achievement. Also, I keep saying to those interested in revisiting that year's Grand Final – please take note of Bontempelli's flawless 22-disposal, six-clearance, seven-tackle, nine-hitout performance. This is taking nothing away from the deeds that day of Jason Johannisen, Tom Boyd and Liam Picken, but The Bont would have been a worthy Norm Smith Medallist.

On that biggest of stages in that win against Sydney, he was two months short of turning 21. He actually captained the Bulldogs that year, when Bob Murphy and Easton Wood missed with injury, becoming the youngest ever in the VFL/AFL to carry such status, and has been permanent Bulldogs skipper since the start of 2020.

He has been incredibly durable, too. He played 16 matches in his first season and has missed just six since the start of 2015, and has regularly played hurt. Game No.200 arrives next Saturday against Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium.

To me, Bontempelli deserves to win a Brownlow Medal. He very nearly did in 2021, polling 33 votes against Ollie Wines’ 36.

Fully fit again in 2023, he's poised beautifully to do so. Not that he would care too much, given he has only ever focused on his team.