BOB Murphy has delayed the inevitable.

Marcus Bontempelli will have to wait to be permanent captain of Western Bulldogs.

By that time, though, he may be the best player in the AFL.

Bontempelli's rise to AFL superstardom has already happened, despite him being five months short of turning 21.

Murphy decides to play on

We may not fully realise it yet, but in the 48 games we have seen him play we are witnessing Nat Fyfe, Joel Selwood, Scott Pendlebury all over again.

On the key Champion Data statistics, he is near equal on most and ahead on some key numbers when compared with the first 50 matches played by that trio.

Time stops when Bontempelli has the ball, and in four of the past five matches, he has had the ball on 30-plus occasions. It took Gary Ablett 102 matches to accumulate 30 disposals in one game.

In the eyes of his peers, Bulldogs recruiting manager Simon Dalrymple took a punt when he used the overall fourth pick in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft to snare Bontempelli.

Only Melbourne's clearly sound selection of Clayton Oliver at No.4 in last year's draft has overtaken the Bulldogs' choice of Bontempelli as the biggest bolter call of recent times.

Through his own lens, though, Dalrymple knew he gained a budding star, as Tom Boyd, Josh Kelly and Jack Billings went one, two and three.

Incredibly, Boyd, recruited in 2014 from GWS by the Bulldogs' president Peter Gordon as an act of vengeance against the Giants when they stole Ryan Griffen, would be receiving at least $1 million more than Bontempelli in 2016 salary.

Boyd played in the VFL last weekend. As he did last year when the Bulldogs earned their spot in the top eight, and then played a final.

Dalrymple, who has compiled an AFL benchmark playing list since taking over as Bulldogs recruiting boss in 2009, went to watch a particular player in a Northern Knights game in 2013, and came away knowing he would draft Bontempelli.

By the time the draft arrived on the Gold Coast that year, and armed with the knowledge that Bontempelli had been able to play centre half-back in the national championships, had kicked 10 goals in a game for his school team and had also played well on a wing for Vic Metro, Dalrymple could not wait until his time came to talk into the microphone.

It has been said around the Bulldogs that Dalrymple viewed Bontempelli as a 194cm version of Tom Liberatore when it came to his ability to wrench the ball out of contests. And he knew he would be able to take marks as a forward when needed. And run all day.

Champion Data's Player Ratings system loves Bontempelli. He moves the ball forward, goes and gets the ball, kicks goals, applies pressure.

In statistical isolation, his numbers are nothing special, but combine everything he does on a football field, and he is through the roof when it comes to the facets that influence the result of a match.

Since the start of 2015, Bontempelli's second year in the AFL, he sits comfortably among the top third of the game's midfielders for goals, tackles, metres gained and contested possessions, alongside Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Dayne Zorko, Jack Ziebell and Ablett.

Like all the great leaders, Bontempelli does the extras. He is seen regularly at the club on his days off and genuinely cares for those he plays with.

At 20 years and 194 days and in just his 48th game, Bontempelli was acting captain for the Bulldogs against West Coast last weekend. No captain in VFL/AFL history has been younger in victory.

With Murphy out for the year and Easton Wood missing with a hamstring complaint, Bontempelli led his team to an eight-point win.

Murphy has decided to continue high-end rehabilitation for his reconstructed knee and has opted to play an 18th AFL season in 2017.

Bontempelli's rapid rise to his natural and deserved elevation to the main leadership role will have to wait until 2018.

Twitter: @barrettdamian