A RETURN to a predominantly midfield role could be the catalyst to seeing Marcus Bontempelli recapture his All Australian form of 2016.

While he hasn't been out of form or not pulling his weight in the club's spluttering premiership defence, the 21-year-old hasn't had the impact that saw him become a central figure in the Dogs' flag success and named in AFL's team of the year.

Splitting his time between the midfield and forward line for most of this season, a more concentrated role on the ball against North Melbourne last week saw 'The Bont' turn in arguably his most dominant performance of the season.

A return of 28 possessions (13 contested), 10 tackles, eight clearances and seven inside 50s fuelled Bontempelli's belief that he's getting back to his brilliant best.

"A lot like the rest of the team, I haven't been able to find my peak form just yet, but on the weekend I felt like I was able to have more of consistent influence throughout the game," Bontempelli told AFL.com.au.

"I really hoping to build off that performance and continue to grow."

The Dogs have had their problems with efficiency in attack, so it's not hard to understand why coach Luke Beveridge pushed Bontempelli forward more to create extra scoring opportunities with his innate ability to make things happen.

But with him sitting top five at the Dogs in all the vitally important statistics, it appears he'll continue to spend more time creating the play than finishing it off.

He sits second for pressure acts (23.3), tackles (7.2) and inside 50s (4.4) while being fourth for disposals (23.7), metres gained (378.8) and score involvements (6.8).

Bontempelli is also 3rd for clearances (3.8) and fifth for hard-ball gets at an average of 4.6 per game.

Ranked against the rest of the competition, he is rated as 'above average' in contested possessions, metres gained, scoreboard influence and pressure acts.

While he understands his importance in the Bulldogs' midfield machine, Bontempelli knows he must – in keeping with Beveridge's versatility mantra – continue to grow his game up forward.

"As it sits at the minute, it's probably a bit more midfield (time) than forward," he said.

"We're always fostered the philosophy of being able to multiply positions, and I really do think spending time in other positions helps you with your main position.

"For me to play as a forward or play a bit more on the outside at different times can beneficial – whether that's for me or the team.

"I've got to continually learn on how to play as a natural forward a bit better. It's a tough thing to learn, it's a hard position to play, but I've been able to learn pretty quickly."

While Bontempelli rates highly in so many statistical areas, accuracy in front of goal this season is not one of the them.

The usually reliable kick is only going at 50 per cent in front of the big sticks, logging 14.14 in what has been a major problem for the Dogs as a whole this season.

The premiers sit a League-worst 42.3 accuracy, well below the AFL average of 46.8.

"We're getting (training) reps, so it's not that we're doing enough practice on it, but it's probably more in game situations being comfortable and confident in our routine," he said.

"I've at times not kicked not kicked the ball well in set shots, so I've been guilty as well.

"It's great we're getting the opportunities, now it's just backing in our routines and kicking the ball through."