- Western Bulldogs star missed out on Brownlow Medal
- He traveled to Europe with his fellow ice hockey star.
- He assured that it will be a year to remember despite the loss of Brownlow
The pain of missing out on the 2024 Brownlow Medal in highly controversial circumstances will be a distant memory for Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli now that he announced his engagement while on holiday in Italy.
The Bulldogs star garnered the most Brownlow votes in the club’s history, but that wasn’t enough to claim the prestigious award, which went to Carlton star Patrick Cripps.
Adding fuel to the controversy were comments from Amanda, the wife of AFL boss Andrew Dillon, saying Bontempelli was out of the running before the awards night even began.
“I’d like to see Marcus Bontempelli (win it), but I’m told he might not be in the fight,” Amanda Dillon told Channel 7’s Dale Thomas.
But that won’t be what defines Bontempelli’s year after he announced he was marrying his partner Neila Brenning while on holiday in Tuscany.
Marcus Bontempelli’s new fiancée Neila Brenning shows off her engagement ring
Bontempelli and Brenning set the red carpet at the Brownlow Medal Awards 2024 on fire
The Australian popped the question in the region’s capital, Florence, with Neila showing off the engagement ring on Instagram.
The celebrations continued, with the couple sharing wine with friends, going out to sample the local nightlife and taking romantic photos in a photo booth.
Canadian-born Brenning met Bontempelli while on holiday in Western Australia shortly after the 2021 grand final.
He subtly revealed their relationship in May 2022 by sharing Instagram stories featuring her.
The couple took to the streets of Florence in Tuscany to celebrate their engagement
The Bulldogs superstar met his love shortly after the 2021 AFL grand final, but they kept their romance private.
A host of AFL players, including Bontempelli’s Bulldogs teammates, congratulated the couple on their engagement.
Brenning, a professional ice hockey player for the Melbourne Ice, also recently shared a video of the couple attending an Arsenal game on social media.
Bontempelli also paid tribute to Neila during his AFL Players’ Association Most Valuable Player acceptance speech.
“I’ll start where everything begins and ends, and that is with my family, the support you receive from the people on your side: my parents, my three sisters and their partners, and especially my partner Neila,” Bontempelli said.
‘Despite all the good things and also the challenges at times, I am very lucky to have such good support through thick and thin, and family is something you can always rely on, no matter what happens . Thanks to my family, it is a special experience to have you all here with me.”
The Italian proposal comes after the Western Bulldogs star was filmed pushing concrete in a wheelbarrow in the AFL off-season.
Bontempelli is starting his own small business, Arthur’s Milkbar, in Kew and was putting on the yakka hard while wearing an Arthur’s Milkbar trucker cap.
The TikTok video received a lot of praise from football fans.
‘The interior Italian concrete is coming to light. Bravo Bonte’, posted one.
‘I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, there is nothing this man can’t do. Bont for Prime Minister,” another added.