By JARROD POTTER
BRINGING his tremendous abilities on and off the field to IKON Park in 2016, it’s no great surprise to see the levels former Dandenong Stingray defender Jacob Weitering has already achieved.
With the confidence and skillset of someone much more experienced than him at the AFL level, Weitering – the 18-year-old Stingrays alumnus from Mt Eliza – has lived up to his number one draft pick billing.
For his 26-possession, nine-mark performance against Gold Coast on Saturday as a solid continuation of his early-season form, Weitering was named the AFL’s Rising Star nominee for round three.
Weitering hasn’t missed a beat in his debut AFL season, and puts it down to the club-wide support from everyone at Carlton.
“It’s been fantastic – obviously those individual accolades don’t come along too much, but I guess we’re playing a team sport,” Weitering said.
“The support mechanisms around the football club, the team-mates that I have, the coaches and the leadership group have been fantastic for me and going into the season and having a good strong pre-season.
“It’s fantastic to be nominated this round and a bit of reward for some hard work over the pre-season.”
Bringing his hard-work and professionalism to the next level, the 195cm key defender doesn’t let Carlton’s tumultuous past or external expectations of a number one pick dictate his thoughts.
He’s just focused on his own football and pushing the club forward inch by inch with everyone around him.
“We’ve got a new culture in now, and we’re just enjoying ourselves at the football club – I’m only one pre-season and three games in and just trying to enjoy myself as much as possible,” Weitering said. “I guess it’s pressure or expectations that you put on yourself – they’re the only ones that matter.
“I’ve just worried about what I can control – playing good football, having a strong pre-season and make sure the body and the mind are right and I’ve just gone from there.
“Obviously, we haven’t got the start we’ve wanted in the first three rounds, but we’ll go back to the drawing board, review what we need to improve on and work on our strengths as well.”
Moving into the national league has been eye-opening, but at the same time that challenge is what he’s really enjoyed most.
“It’s definitely a big step up from bottom age football that’s for sure,” Weitering said. “I see with the rule changes, the fast free flowing footy, the defensive presses – the game has changed and it’s nice to be a part of this new era of football.”
Weitering’s Blues face the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night.
