Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli has given an insight into his contract talks with the Dogs and provided an injury update on forward Tim English after his bruising concussion on Friday night.
Fresh off a starring performance with 26 disposals and a goal against the Giants, Bontempelli joined SEN's Crunch Time on Saturday morning to discuss why he’s still yet to put pen to paper beyond this season.
“As I’ve said in the past, we’re continuing to work through it. My manager Tom Petroro is in constant chats with the club as we progress to getting something done,” he said.
“I’m not sure exactly on the timeline, but it should be getting sorted pretty soon.”
The Bulldogs superstar also played a straight bat when asked whether he’d push for a larger contract.
“It’s an interesting one, I guess everyone treats the timing a little differently. It’s just something we’ll continue working through over the next few weeks,” he said.
Bontempelli’s interview additionally featured an update to Dogs fans on the seriousness of Tim English’s injury.
English bore some friendly fire from fellow forward Aaron Naughton, as Naughton’s knee caught English flush on the jaw during a marking contest.
He had to be helped from the field and did not return from a suspected concussion.
“The jaw seems to be okay, so just under the concussion protocols he’ll miss next week, but at this stage we’re hoping to get him back the week after,” Bontempelli said.
“That’s probably the lucky part of that incident, but still disappointed that we’ll lose him.”
English’s injury was far from isolated for the Dogs, as Lin Jong (hamstring) and Josh Dunkley (shoulder) both failed to see out the game and now seem set for a period on the sidelines.