If not now, when? It’s the sort of question that keeps hovering over the Western Bulldogs at this time of year as their most recent taste of success fades away. One of the most exhilarating sides in the competition, blessed with enviable tall forward talent and some of the most damaging midfielders in the game, the Dogs are widely considered a premiership fancy. But whether they can even qualify for the finals, let alone push for a critical top-four spot, once again remains far from certain as we pass the halfway mark of the season.

Marcus Bontempelli is arguably the greatest Bulldogs player to wear the red, white and blue. Six All-Australian blazers, as many club best and fairest awards, and a pair of runner-up places in Brownlow medal counts are a more than reasonable return for a player who joined the club as the No 4 pick in 2013. Like the most graceful of predators, Bontempelli glides across the ground with a casual elegance. But his 194cm frame and ruthless attack on the ball and player make him a fearsome and formidable opponent. He will play his 250th match for the Dogs this week as one of the premier midfielders – if not the best player – in the game.

The Bulldogs captain of the past six seasons already has a premiership. He earned one in just his third season in 2016 when playing a pivotal role in the Dogs breaking their 62-year flag drought. Bontempelli was probably best afield in that grand final against the Swans, though the Norm Smith medal went to a more eye-catching teammate on the day.

The 29-year-old is out of contract at the end of this season and taking his time to extend his stay at the club. While there is little suggestion that Bontempelli might be on the move, until he re-signs the risk of losing perhaps the best of the Bulldogs will always be there. Even if he does ink a new deal, a player who is prepared to use his body as a battering ram and is about to enter his 30s only has so many years left in the game. To retire without adding to his premiership collection feels like it would be leaving him and the club short.

The warning signs were there when Bontempelli missed the first five rounds of the season with a calf injury. The Dogs went 2-3 in that time, before winning the next three games when he returned. But they are far from a one-man band. Combative onballer Tom Liberatore is the soul of the team. The electrifying defender turned midfielder Ed Richards adds the spark. Bailey Dale is full of class in defence, and Aaron Naughton is good for a highlight or two even as his impact has dropped away in attack.

The point of difference is a young gun with 36 games under his belt. At 208cm, Sam Darcy is almost impossible to stop in the air. His agility and ability to use the ball on both sides of his body make him the toughest of match-ups. The Dogs’ hopes of a second premiership under coach Luke Beveridge looked shot when Darcy went down with what was initially thought to be a season-ending knee injury against the Saints in round six. Eight weeks later, he was back to face the same side and has hardly skipped a beat since, with eight goals in two matches.

Bontempelli and Darcy have only been on the park together three times this season. The Dogs have won each of those games by at least 70 points. They have won another two games by at least that margin, as they find their place in the top half of a competition that has split in two. But a record of 7-0 against the sides currently in the bottom nine of the ladder only stands out as much as being 1-6 against the rest of the top half.

With the third-best percentage in the competition in hand, the Bulldogs likely need five more wins to secure a finals spot. A clash with the Swans this Friday night is far from the lock that it might have seemed just a few weeks ago. Recent history suggests the Dogs should have little trouble accounting for other inferior sides when they face the Kangaroos, Bombers, Demons and Eagles on the run home.

Those five matches might well be enough for the Dogs to book their finals spot. But whether they are truly premiership contenders, rather than once again pretenders, will come down to whether they can also start beating the big teams. The Bulldogs’ one win over a top-half side came against their old foes the Giants, while they have already fallen short against the Lions and Dockers earlier in the year. A first match-up with the Crows this year could prove pivotal to each of their hopes of being next best behind the clear top three.

The Bulldogs have finished in the top eight five times since tasting the ultimate success nine years ago. But during that time they have failed to earn a double chance, and only won a final during a single campaign, when riding three victories into the decider in 2021. Even with a 21-year-old as their focal point, the time has come for the Dogs to move beyond building for the future, and make the most of the opportunities they have now.

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