While the number four guernsey has long been revered at the Kennel, top draft pick Marcus Bontempelli has discovered another benefit of his new number – prime locker room real estate.

“I’m lucky in the number that I’ve been given because I am in between two absolutely awesome leaders in Mitch Wallis and Matthew Boyd [in the locker room],” Bontempelli told BulldogsTV.

“[I’m] really lucky in that sense because they have both really looked after me, it’s just something as simple as asking questions and asking how you are going on a regular basis, which makes you feel like you are really involved.

“As well as I think Bob Murphy who is incidentally number two, so all the boys around me have been pretty awesome.”

Boyd and Wallis, alongside his appointed mentor Dale Morris, have been keeping a watchful eye on the new recruit and Bontempelli said their embrace has made him quickly feel at home.

“Dale Morris is my mentor, so he’s been really good and I think just particularly someone that you initially get involved with early at the Club, someone that you can just have a joke with when you run into him,” he said.

“He’s been really good for the last two months but then I guess there’s a lot of strong leaders amongst the Club.”