The Western Bulldogs have kicked off their 2026 season in style, sitting pretty at 2-0 after bullying an undermanned Giants side off the back of a superb victory in Brisbane.

And behind the side’s brilliant start is none other than superstar Marcus Bontempelli.

Absent for the club’s first five games in 2025, the Dogs started last season with just two wins from their first five – ultimately leading to their absence in September, missing finals football by just one win.

Now, the Bont is fit and is most certainly firing, anchoring the Dogs' flawless start to the season.

After booting three goals to go with 19 touches against the Lions, the 30-year-old followed up with a monster best-on-ground performance, racking up 33 disposals including 14 contested possessions, six clearances, 11 score involvements and three goals to down the Giants by 81 points.

Speaking on Bontempelli’s elite run-out in Round 1, Adam Simpson identified the factor of the Bulldog’s game that makes him so difficult to run with.

“Bont’s first half, he’s had 18 possessions, eight contested, five score involvements, 400 metres gained and kicked three goals,” Simpson told SEN’s Whateley.

“(GWS were) probably asking, ‘what should we do with the Bont?’ Toby Greene was on him for a little while and that didn’t work.

“His ability to be an inside mid and an extractor and also just on the periphery – he did that early with a couple of stoppages. He just, one out, one back, ‘I’ll be a receiver, not a getter'.

“There’s not many like that. That’s his point of difference; he can do both. Most are sort of one or the other, even a (Nick) Daicos, he’s probably more of a receiver, as much as he wins his own ball.

“Bont does both whenever it’s needed. His decision making on that – that’s what makes him so hard to tag, because on the inside you play him from behind, on the outside you need to be in front.”

Just two games into the new season, SEN’s Gerard Whateley has doubled down on his lofty views of the superstar.

“I’m holding to my view that the correct answer as to who is the best player in the competition remains Marcus Bontempelli,” Whateley stated.

Bont and the Dogs travel to South Australia, with a clash against the Adelaide Crows on Friday night to come.