By JARROD POTTER
TO RUN out for Vic Country in this year’s AFL Under-18 National Championships, you would have to run past high-flying defender Jacob Weitering.
Weitering, 18, took to the state captaincy confidently as he’d offer a high-five, a pat on the back, or a few reassuring words to his team-mates as they streamed past him onto the field.
The Dandenong Stingrays footballer champions a no-nonsense, team-oriented style of play has a lot of recruiters thinking he could be the first player picked out of this year’s AFL national draft.
But that’s an individual accomplishment and not something that drives him.
What motivates the mobile utility – whether forward, his customary back-line roles or even occasionally pinch-hitting in around the ground ruck duties – is the team.
Helping dictate the play across half-back – along with Stingrays team-mates Bailey Rice, Brandon White, Keiran Collins and Tommy Glen – Weitering was an integral part of Vic Country’s championship victory, secured officially with a 32-point win over Western Australia on Thursday.
For Weitering, leading out this power-packed Vic Country side – one of the strongest teams ever assembled in national championships history – stands as his greatest footballing honour.
“It means absolutely everything – it’s been a privilege to lead a side like this and it’s quality side at that,” Weitering said.
“It stems from the top – Leon Harris and Paul Henriksen – they’ve done a lot of work over the last two years, to get us from not even beating Division 1 teams a few years ago to going six-and-zero in a national championship is quite something.
“Henry (Henriksen) stated at the start of this week that we can be a championship team, but also we wanted to be a champion team every week and one that will be remembered.
“Congratulations to all the boys, all the parents and all the family – we just can’t thank them enough – it’s been massive.”
It’s no surprise the 195cm key defender was named in the All Australian side – stationed at his customary centre-half back position alongside Stingrays team-mate Keiran Collins (full-back) and Gach Nyuon (ruck).
While Weitering also received the Ben Mitchell Medal – voted the most deserving among the AFL Academy squad to best represent the late Mitchell’s values – his mind is squarely set on team tasks and living up to the roles required for the entire group.
It’s this team-first mindset – backing into packs, chopping out third man up for his mates and running all day to set up the play from the back half – that has everyone agreeing that Weitering is AFL-calibre before even stepping foot in the national competition.
“Individual accolades come along, but I’m a team man and that’s why I play a team sport,” Weitering said.
“I’ve just loved this week and loved this group.
“Being with the boys is something I’ll look back on – it’s as simple as that – some of us have been together for three years, two years, others have been here for a couple of weeks or two months since we started the carnival.
“The memories we’ll share – winning certainly helps.”
Vic Country coach Paul Henriksen simply summed up his skipper.
“He’s just going to be an AFL player,” Henriksen said.
“Off the ground, on the ground, around the group – he’s just the package and what he gives towards the group.
“An outstanding captain and today (Thursday) played him forward – for the first half – which was different … but I thought he was serviceable then he went back and helped out there.”
Weitering will now return to schoolboys duties with The Peninsula School and TAC Cup duties for his beloved Dandenong Stingrays.
